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

Example Sentences

Singh is a common surname in the Sikh community from India’s state of Punjab.

From Los Angeles Times

His mother later married a British officer and the family relocated to England, where young Stoppard took his stepfather’s surname and “put on Englishness like a coat,” he later said.

From Los Angeles Times

Then she married British Army Major Kenneth Stoppard, who gave the family a new surname and moved them to England in 1946.

From The Wall Street Journal

Few know her real name, María Harfuch Hidalgo, whose paternal surname reflects her Lebanese ancestry.

From Los Angeles Times

"We demand freedom and security, an end to the killings and to kidnappings," she said, also declining to provide her surname.

From Barron's

Related Words

• last name