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
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Recent Examples of surname
Eunice Yoon,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024
An employee surnamed Lin who answered the phone at Gold Apollo but declined to provide her full name or title said the company did not directly fill the pager order from Hezbollah, and that BAC handles the vast majority of device sales from Middle Eastern customers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Before that, Prince William and Prince Harry did the same, taking on their father’s former title of Wales as their surname in school.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
The individual, surnamed Yang, declined to share his first name due to concerns about speaking with foreign media.
—Eunice Yoon,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024
An employee surnamed Lin who answered the phone at Gold Apollo but declined to provide her full name or title said the company did not directly fill the pager order from Hezbollah, and that BAC handles the vast majority of device sales from Middle Eastern customers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
Verb
The emergence of al-Sheikh, who also uses the surname Alalshikh, as the dominant figure in the sport has been a catalyst for many of these changes.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Before that, Prince William and Prince Harry did the same, taking on their father’s former title of Wales as their surname in school.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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Also endangering the family name and business is a crooked deal made by Byron Hedges (Jack Gleeson), an illegitimate cousin helping Guinness expand into America, that promises 15% of all American profits to the Fenian Brotherhood.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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The family name is kind of a big deal in Arlington.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The longtime chef at Miami’s Best Pizza recently opened his own joint called Thad’s Pizza, after his nickname.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Bella’s — after Veliu’s grandmother’s nickname given by her husband — hopes to start serving customers sometime in November.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sony Pictures has made Aaron Sorkin‘s The Social Network follow-up official, titling it The Social Reckoning and setting a fall theatrical release of October 9, 2026.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Sep. 2025
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His album, titled El Rey de Habana, signifies his shift away from what’s typically recognized as reparto, fusing R&B, Brazilian funk, Jersey club, Afrobeats, and reggaeton.—
Ana González Vilá,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For reasons of privacy, Jasper's family has asked that their last name not be used.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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The three accused, who police only identified by first names and initials of their last names, were charged with membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing an act of violence endangering the state.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Use chapter titles or epithets to set up what’s coming.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
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On his next broadcast, Maher convened guests like Ice Cube and Michael Eric Dyson to call him to task for using the epithet and to explore the issues about its us.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An earlier news release on September 23 had named 31 states.—
Matt Cannon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) has named multidisciplinary artist Nilbar Güreş, known for her humorous, poetic, yet critical works commenting on social topics, as Turkey’s representative to the Sixty-First Venice Biennale, set to take place May 9–November 22, 2026.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pair it with sandals and a sun hat for your tropical getaway or style it with heels and a trendy jacket for a night out on the town.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Thrown over a slip dress or styled with denim, a blazer, like this plaid number, is a chic juxtaposition that adds an effortless Italian poise.—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each became part of the political and historical phenomenon termed the balsero crisis, so named for the balsas, or makeshift rafts, that carried the refugees out into the Florida Straits.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
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The California Democrat is widely expected to run for president in 2028 after he is termed out of state office next year.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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