surname
Americannoun
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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)
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
- 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:
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.
Ali, a film director who like almost all the Iranians interviewed by AFP did not give his surname, agreed.
From Barron's
"Russia should have had -- though unfortunately it didn't work out -- a leader exactly like Nemtsov," he told AFP, declining to give his surname.
From Barron's
Most Russians killed in the war have Slavic surnames.
From BBC
"When I come to this place for the second time, hope suddenly appears," 20-year-old Igor, who declined to give his surname, said.
From Barron's
Officials with the same rank are sorted by how their names are written—starting with the number of strokes in their surname, in ascending order.
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.
