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
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
Grace Raynor, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
At the mention of the close match’s surname, Vicki’s face turned bright red.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 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 Manning family has been in New Orleans for five decades, the surname made famous, of course, by Arch’s grandfather, former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and two Super Bowl-winning uncles, Peyton and Eli.
—Grace Raynor, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
At the mention of the close match’s surname, Vicki’s face turned bright red.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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Because of this and his family name, Arch’s recruiting process was set to be a media circus, but with the help of his parents, Arch and his family shut that down to maintain his focus on making the best decision.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
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While the Lynch family name is known throughout metro Detroit for funeral homes, Paddy Lynch, now 41, and the third generation to work in the family business, is also an entrepreneur who is making a name for himself in unlikely fields.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Colleagues described a popular chaplain with nicknames for the tiny patients and soothing words for their bleary-eyed parents.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The waterways that have earned the city the nickname Venice of America.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her 2010 meat dress—designed by Franc Fernandez and aptly titled Matambre—is proof, remaining one of the VMAs’ most unforgettable looks.—
Andre Claudio,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Sep. 2025
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For the Netflix doc, titled aka Charlie Sheen, the star sat down with director Andrew Renzi to open up, after having been approached by other filmmakers and studios for years about a documentary and turning them down.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the Israeli Russian diamond tycoon filed suit against him for allegedly impersonating them and unjustly enriching himself using their last name.—
Kelsie Gibson,
People.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts are proving to have more than just their last name in common.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.—
Larry David,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
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Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Republican two-term president tapped Attorney General Pam Bondi to take temporary command of DC's police department and named Terry Cole, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the interim federal commissioner of the police department.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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The declaration also names the FBI, the DOJ, and the Executive Office of the President as defendants.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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How to style My ideal heeled mules outfit is fully neutral.—
Amber Cardullo,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
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Shades of brown everything is a big color trend for fall, which means knowing how to style brown boots with black has become a necessary skill.—
Abby Morgan Lebet,
Glamour,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Per Dumas’ filing, Weatherington had been on the board for 11 years and had already termed out.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Fisher Protocol, as it was termed, makes vivid the reality that nuclear war, so often spoken of in the bloodless language of tactics and strategy, is unimaginably horrific.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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