surname

American  

[sur-neym, sur-neym, sur-neym] / ˈsɜrˌneɪm, ˈsɜrˌneɪm, sɜrˈneɪm /

noun

1. 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.

2. a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.

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verb (used with object)

surnamed, surnaming

1. to give a surname to; call by a surname.

surname British  

/ ˈsɜːˌneɪm /

noun

1. Also called: last name.   second name.  a family name as opposed to a first or Christian name

2. (formerly) a descriptive epithet attached to a person's name to denote a personal characteristic, profession, etc; nickname

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verb

1. (tr) to furnish with or call by a surname

Other Word Forms

• surnamer noun
• unsurnamed adjective

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:

• surname vs. maiden name
• surname vs. given name
• surname vs. forename

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).

Example Sentences

Two different children, aged 3 and 5, had the Elkins surname.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Three others, aged 6, 7 and 10, share a surname with Shanequia Trenshell Pugh, who married Elkins in 2024, court records show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

She's also seen the effect my surname has had on me - why would you put yourself through that?

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

The 45-year-old Magyar, whose surname means “Hungarian,” grew up in an affluent family of public figures in Budapest’s historic city center, just a stone’s throw from Hungary’s parliament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

On the front of the book, Estha had rubbed out his surname with spit, and taken half the paper with it.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Related Words

• last name