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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Emily, who didn't share her surname, lives in the Midwest with her 11 cats.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
Their surname was also there for everyone to see as the couple enjoyed memorable moments on the dance floor.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Emily, who didn't share her surname, lives in the Midwest with her 11 cats.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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Blue has definitely spent the past few years living up to the Carter family name, and even her aunt Solange couldn’t resist showering her with love on social media.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
29 Apr. 2025
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His death sparked an international outpouring from fans and cemented the family name in Hollywood and beyond.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Photo of the day: Welcome to the Mammoths The Utah Hockey Club unveiled its new nickname, the Mammoth, and its logo Wednesday.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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Salt Spring more than deserves the nickname the Island of the Arts.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
8 May 2025
Verb
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The artist is about to give a landmark concert at the Stade de France, titled The Final Show, followed by an after-party at the Accor Arena.—
Billboard France,
Billboard,
10 May 2025
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On Sunday, noted sound designers Nicolas Becker (Oscar winner for Sound of Metal, whose credits also include Gravity and Arrival) and Peter Albrechtsen (Evil Dead Rise, and documentaries The Cave and The Territory) lead a master class titled Creating Immersive Audio in Documentary.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
10 May 2025
Noun
-
The fiancé did not know Edwin’s last name, but police were able to identify him as Arroyo-Roman, the warrant affidavit said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
8 May 2025
-
Cassian has his last name right there in the damn title.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
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Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
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The word has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth — but to fix the housing crisis, the country needs more of it.—
Conor Dougherty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Greg Abel, 62, who had been expected to be named CEO when Buffett retired, should take over at the end of the year, Buffett said.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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During this initial barrage, Prima was overwhelmed with the suspicion that Ruth was saying this to her because Ruth thought that Prima was like this girl named Anne Lucas.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
Verb
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Her signature blonde hair was styled in a low ponytail with pieces framing her face.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
3 May 2025
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The main lesbian vampire, Countess Elizabeth Báthory (who, yes, is named after and descended from the serial killer) is styled after Marlene Dietrich, but somehow even more high femme.—
James Factora,
Them.,
2 May 2025
Verb
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The only complication when explaining that is that because Grealish and Lewis were nothing like strikers, they could also be termed attacking midfielders, just even more central and deeper than the inside wingers.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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Between 10% and 25% of adults experience what's medically termed tinnitus, according to the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, but hearing the sound for three months or more is considered chronic tinnitus.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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