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Synonyms

last name

American  

noun

  1. surname.

last name British  

noun

  1. another term for surname

"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

Etymology

Origin of last name

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

ProPublica is withholding her last name because she fears being deported.

From Salon • May 2, 2026

James's last name didn't feature in Michelle's paternal line - he wasn't her father.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Two other children, aged 6 and 5, share her same last name.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

It was once called Cuervo — his wife’s original last name — and tequila giant Jose Cuervo came after it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

And I realize what I’ve always known—that family isn’t really about blood and having the same last name.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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.