family name
Americannoun
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the hereditary surname of a family.
-
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.
The Epstein scandal threatens to deepen a divide among the descendants at a time when the two remaining banks bearing the family name are increasingly in competition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
About 111 million of the voting A shares are mostly in the family name.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
"I really wanted to win a Slam for him, to put our family name into history," Sabalenka said in 2022.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
But there were clues: A tattoo with a family name.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
She gave her son an American name followed by a Korean personal name followed by the family 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.
