surname
Also called last name . the name that a person has in common with other family members, as distinguished from a first name or given name; family name.
a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.
to give a surname to; call by a surname.
Origin of surname
1Other words from surname
- un·sur·named, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use surname in a sentence
It was those grim-faced, jowly white men with the harsh surnames.
Nelson Mandela Was Undeniably Great But He Doesn’t Need a Halo | Michael Moynihan | December 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTInstead they go by a number of different surnames according to personal preference.
They did not even have surnames, other than patronymics ("son of" names).
But the practice of giving surnames grew up only very gradually in the countries of Europe.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'NeillIn England surnames were not used until nearly a hundred years after the Norman Conquest, and then only by kings and nobles.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill
It is interesting to see in how many different ways people got their surnames.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'NeillThe first surnames in England were those which the Norman nobles who came over at the Conquest handed on from father to son.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'NeillMany surnames have come down from nicknames given to people because of their good or bad qualities.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill
British Dictionary definitions for surname
/ (ˈsɜːˌneɪm) /
Also called: last name, second name a family name as opposed to a first or Christian name
(formerly) a descriptive epithet attached to a person's name to denote a personal characteristic, profession, etc; nickname
(tr) to furnish with or call by a surname
Origin of surname
1Derived forms of surname
- surnamer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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