surname

1 of 2

noun

sur·​name ˈsər-ˌnām 

1

: an added name derived from occupation or other circumstance : nickname sense 1

2

: the name borne in common by members of a family

surname

2 of 2

verb

surnamed; surnaming; surnames

transitive verb

: to give a surname to

Synonyms of surname

Noun

• family name
• last name
• epithet

Examples of surname in a Sentence

Noun

judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian

“da Vinci” was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was born

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 2019, his great-nephews Albert and Lawrence Lewitinn (their surnames are spelled differently than the artist’s) inherited about 1,000 of the artist’s works. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

The novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is a cautionary tale about a family of the same surname who discover a Fountain of Youth—challenging them to reconcile with immortality and all its implications. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026

Verb

According to the Taiwanese publication CTWANT, a 67-year-old farmer surnamed Wu decided to start consulting an AI chatbot for advice nearly a year ago. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026

The pilot killed when a plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest building Friday was a 66-year-old man surnamed ⁠Liu, Beijing’s Chaoyang district government said Thursday, as officials seek to end speculation about the incident. — Reuters, NBC news, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for surname

• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim
• doorframe
• exclaim
• inflame
• mainframe

Kids Definition

surname

noun

sur·​name

ˈsər-ˌnām

1

: an added name : nickname

2

: the name held in common by members of a family

surname verb