family name
Americannoun
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family names
plural
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the hereditary surname of a family.
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a given name frequently used in a family.
noun
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a surname, esp when regarded as representing the family honour
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a first or middle name frequently used in a family, often originally a surname
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of family name
First recorded in 1690–1700
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They ultimately changed their surname to match their wife’s, deciding that sharing one family name mattered more than preserving their own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Yunes said the siblings, who both have a genetic eye condition and asked not to use their family name for fear of reprisals, spent 18 months in Egypt before travelling to Europe.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
"One Dumfries is a Scottish town, another Dumfries became a Caribbean family name," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Keiko Fujimori's victory would mark the return of her family name to power, more than two decades after the fall of her father, former president Alberto Fujimori.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
In America, the family name is called the last name.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
