family name
Americannoun
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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
Etymology
Origin of family name
First recorded in 1690–1700
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How does family-name compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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
At the Islam Qala crossing point in Herat province, western Afghanistan, Talibshah, who did not to give his family name, said he had been working in agriculture northwest of Tehran.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 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
Both have responded to jabs from outside groups, with Grijalva being accused of running on her family name.
From Salon • Jul. 13, 2025
No child of hers was going to forget her family name and think she was nothing but a kissing cousin to an orangutan.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
