as in surnames
a name shared by members of a family
please write your first name, middle initial, and last name at the top of the form
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Recent Examples of last names
In July, another inmate at the same jail was mistakenly released due to what officials say was a clerical error stemming from two similar last names.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Names like Andrea, Cheryl, Clara, Demetrius, Diane, Laverne, Lisa, Maria, Yvonne, The Funkateers, Fast Freddy, Renita and Keith, Pernell and Debra, and many more — no last names needed.
—Scott Talley, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
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
There are few people in human history whose last names alone are sufficient to conjure up kindness, goodness, wisdom, grace—Mandela, Gandhi, King, Lincoln.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
According to Fox 35, deputies mistook Vasquez for their suspect due to a one-letter difference in the spelling of their last names.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
This was so touching, that the kids in the group homes would take each other’s last names to replicate being a family.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Both last names were withheld by organizers for safety reasons.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
In the fall of 1975, officials assigned students to schools based on their grade levels and the first letter of their last names.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Names like Andrea, Cheryl, Clara, Demetrius, Diane, Laverne, Lisa, Maria, Yvonne, The Funkateers, Fast Freddy, Renita and Keith, Pernell and Debra, and many more — no last names needed.
—Scott Talley, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
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
There are few people in human history whose last names alone are sufficient to conjure up kindness, goodness, wisdom, grace—Mandela, Gandhi, King, Lincoln.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
According to Fox 35, deputies mistook Vasquez for their suspect due to a one-letter difference in the spelling of their last names.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
This was so touching, that the kids in the group homes would take each other’s last names to replicate being a family.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Both last names were withheld by organizers for safety reasons.
—Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
In the fall of 1975, officials assigned students to schools based on their grade levels and the first letter of their last names.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for last names
surnames
Noun
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Names can have a maximum of two first names and four surnames.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
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The trust also listed multiple women with Eastern European surnames as beneficiaries.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Last names.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/last%20names. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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