surname
Americannoun
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surnames
plural
-
Also called last name. the name that a person has in common with other family members, as distinguished from a first name or given name; family name.
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a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.
verb (used with object)
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surnames,
present (3rd person singular)
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surnamed,
past participle, past
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surnaming
present participle
noun
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Also called: last name, second name. a family name as opposed to a first or Christian name
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(formerly) a descriptive epithet attached to a person's name to denote a personal characteristic, profession, etc; nickname
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
surnamesimple
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surnamessimple
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have surnamedperfect
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has surnamedperfect
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am surnamingprogressive
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are surnamingprogressive
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is surnamingprogressive
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have been surnamingperfect progressive
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has been surnamingperfect progressive
Past
-
surnamedsimple
-
had surnamedperfect
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was surnamingprogressive
-
were surnamingprogressive
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had been surnamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of surname
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (noun); see sur- 1, name; modeled on Old French surnom
Compare meaning
How does surname compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A surname is a person’s last name, or family name. Smith is a popular surname in the U.S., while Dieng is a popular surname in Senegal. Your surname is your last name. A surname can be Smith, Jones, Johnson, Giacometti — any name that someone gets from their family. The word surname derives from sur “above" + name. The term surname was first used by feudal lords, who adopted the name of their property as their family name. A surname can be derived from a place name (e.g., London) or a trade (e.g., Schneider means "tailor" in German).
Vocabulary lists containing surname
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This Week in Words: March 30–April 5, 2019
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"Names/Nombres" by Julia Alvarez
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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.
See Examples For:
But he hinted at affection by choosing a surname for him derived from the German for heart, Herz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
From a modest family, he dreamt of becoming a computer engineer to "change his life", he told AFP, withholding his surname because "the fear is still there".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
He asserted in court filings that he believed Dylan — whose surname was Mendell at the time — was 18 and a member of the video production crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Stacy's family now prefer her to be remembered by her pre-marriage surname Hunter, rather than her husband's name Mair.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
With a hyphenated surname, she would no longer fit into the window of a business envelope.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Family members, now also bearing surnames like Kellermann, Millhiser and Richards, had flown and driven in from all around the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
While nearly 80% of women in opposite-sex marriages in the U.S. take on their spouse’s last name, others are turning to custom blended surnames, pitch decks or athletic tournaments to settle the debate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Hannah says she had no emotional connection to her previous surname, and it often confused people when she would use two surnames in different contexts.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Family surnames can also change from one generation to the next, as many anglicised their name when they moved south of the border.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
A lot of names for such a little boy—the surnames of the country's three liberators!
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
The officer, surnamed Bu, was arrested earlier this month after he was accused of prematurely closing cases on the popular holiday island Jeju and lying to missing persons' families.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
On recruiting websites, a seafarer surnamed Wang posted that he was recently on the Catalina 7 between last May and this March, traveling between Southeast Asia and China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
In Beijing, a man surnamed Liu had worked for 15 years collecting map data for a Chinese tech company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
In a park surrounding the mausoleum, 74-year-old Nanjing resident surnamed Fen told AFP on Wednesday that he had come to the area after hearing of Cheng's visit.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
Shiel Torquil had with him only one retainer, but he was a host in himself, being surnamed, from his immense size and strength, the Gillie More.
From Baron Bruno Or, the Unbelieving Philosopher, and Other Fairy Stories by Louisa Morgan
The Cossack chiefs celebrated his exploits, one of them surnaming him the "hetmann."
From World's Best Histories — Volume 7: France by M. (François) Guizot
Ney enlisted at eighteen in a hussar regiment, and gradually advanced step by step: Kleber soon discovered his merits, surnaming him “The Indefatigable,” and promoted him to be Adjutant-General when only twenty-five.
From Self help; with illustrations of conduct and perseverance by Samuel Smiles
Ney enlisted at eighteen in a hussar regiment and gradually advanced step by step; Kleber soon discovered his merits, surnaming him "The Indefatigable," and promoted him to be adjutant-general when only twenty-five.
From How to Get on in the World A Ladder to Practical Success by Major A.R. Calhoon
I wonder if Sala was the native and surnaming town of that other Sala whose initials are G. A. S., and whose nature is 'ditto'?
From Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No IV, April 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
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.
