Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

family name

See more synonyms for family name on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the hereditary surname of a family.
  2. a given name frequently used in a family.
Show More

Origin of family name

First recorded in 1690–1700
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for family name

Historical Examples

  • His name was my family-name; he was tall and youthful, like my Captain.

    Pages From an Old Volume of Life

    Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

  • The writer considers the last-named forest to be that of Wede or Woden; and derives thence the family-name Weede.

British Dictionary definitions for family name

family name

noun
  1. a surname, esp when regarded as representing the family honour
  2. a first or middle name frequently used in a family, often originally a surname
Show More
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