1
as in family name
a name shared by members of a family
judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian
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2
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
"da Vinci" was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was born
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of surname
Chris Lau, CNN, 9 May 2023
The Chengdu police used social media on Wednesday to report that a 39-year-old man surnamed Chen was arrested on suspicion of opening a casino.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
PC Magazine, 3 June 2025
Related Stories Now there are reports that Prince Harry almost took the feud to another level, reportedly at one point considering changing his last name to his mother’s maiden surname, Spencer, presumably to permanently cut ties with his father.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
Gansu authorities said the suspect, surnamed Hong, was questioned in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province on May 5.
—Chris Lau, CNN, 9 May 2023
The Chengdu police used social media on Wednesday to report that a 39-year-old man surnamed Chen was arrested on suspicion of opening a casino.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Verb
This includes basic identification details (e.g., name, surname), contact information (e.g., email address, business correspondence), and data required for statutory accounting and legal compliance purposes (e.g., invoicing records and payment details).
—PC Magazine, 3 June 2025
Related Stories Now there are reports that Prince Harry almost took the feud to another level, reportedly at one point considering changing his last name to his mother’s maiden surname, Spencer, presumably to permanently cut ties with his father.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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Charlotte Flair has certainly done a nice job of living up to the family name, but the pressure to do so is still on.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
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Hannah and Mark Gleiberman contributed $20 million to create a center for glaucoma research within the new Viterbi center, also endowing two additional chairs in their family name.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
Noun
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One person helped by the nonprofit is Doña Chela, an undocumented 66-year-old woman who asked to be identified by her nickname.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
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Now, being age 34 means that Dame Time, the nickname for Lillard, has already spent quite a lot of time on the basketball court.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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As per tradition, the Swiss genre showcase will frame its annual retrospective through a sociological lens, this year turning its focus to health with a 20-film deep dive cheekily titled Take Care.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
27 June 2025
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The site’s cartoon features a sample film titled An Unverifiable Veracity, apparently some joke by an Al Gore supporter riffing on the sham climate-change documentary An Inconvenient Truth.—
Armond White,
National Review,
27 June 2025
Noun
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The same judge had to legally change his last name again.—
Mark Gray,
People.com,
25 June 2025
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Gender neutral names for Libra Micah: Micah is a fun name to pair with a middle or last name.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
17 June 2025
Noun
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The racist epithets — including a swastika and N***** spray-painted onto the concrete walls surrounding the park — were reported to the Miami Police on Monday afternoon in what the community and police are calling a hate crime.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
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Barnyard epithets did not pepper the prepared speeches of most of Hegseth's predecessors.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Throughout Round 2, Gi-hun and Player 001 form an alliance with other competitors, including Gi-hun’s best friend from Season 1, Park Jung-bae, and an ex-marine named Dae-ho.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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The Alliance-area location is the 29th overall and third in Tarrant County for Mister O1, named for founding chef Renato Viola’s O-1 work visa.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Princess Beatrice, a granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, styled her own take on florals on Monday as well.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
1 July 2025
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What’s more, this design can facilitate styling the back of your head, too.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The letter cited multiple emergency orders signed by DeSantis during the administration of President Joe Biden waiving state purchasing rules in order to address what the governor termed as an emergency caused by an influx of undocumented immigrants to the United States.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2025
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Michele Mulroney is running for president of the Writers Guild of America West — unopposed, at least for now — after current president Meredith Stiehm termed out after nearly four years at the helm.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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