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.

---

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

---

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); 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

There wasn’t even an appearance from anyone with the surname Trump.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Which means some fumbles remain fumbles on my phone: “Fog” occasionally becomes “dog” and tennis star Carlos Alcaraz unfairly earns the surname Alcatraz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

The woman, in her 20s and identified by her surname Kwon, argued that she did not know the procedure would be carried out that way.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Ansar Allah’s informal name, Houthis, comes from the surname of the late political and religious leader, Hussein Badreddin Houthi.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Detective Inspector Pearce had mentioned Marcus’s surname to us only once, but once was enough.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Related Words

• last name