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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surname
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
The endless vowels of their surnames—Ruuttu, Saarinen, Ruotsalainen—sail through his mind like a song.
—Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
In sports, some siblings are so accomplished that they can be recognized by only their surnames.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 8 Feb. 2026
The endless vowels of their surnames—Ruuttu, Saarinen, Ruotsalainen—sail through his mind like a song.
—Boris Fishman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
-
However, unlike similar programs, these folks have to stay true to their Southern roots and family names, a difficult feat in today’s modern world.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The move to mirror the suffocation of fame and family name by making the show’s scope increasingly claustrophobic is not untrodden territory.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson lived up to his nickname.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
-
While the colors alone are enough to tell the story, the pair will reportedly be tagged with the aforementioned springtime nickname.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nodding to its own influence in the category, the label has released a new capsule collection titled, fittingly, Icons Reborn.—
Cami Fateh,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And now, 23 years later, there's even a documentary—fittingly titled Reality Check.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most married men – 92% – keep their last names.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
16 Feb. 2026
-
His girlfriend, identified only by her last name, Arroyo, was restrained with zip ties and had a 2013 Hyundai Elantra stolen off the property.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On that day, the mob hurled racist epithets, smoke bombs, and fists at him.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Vice Mayor Darian Martin, who is Black, condemned Urbom’s use of the racial epithet.—
Theo Karantsalis,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Patriots have named Zak Kuhr their new defensive coordinator, a source confirmed to the Herald.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Chalke also appeared in a 2018 episode of the Roseanne spinoff The Conners, this time playing a woman named Andrea.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The collection launched with a look book styled by i-D magazine’s deputy editor Alex Kessler, and Campbell said the collection would be presented to buyers in a showroom during Paris’s June menswear fashion week.—
Violet Goldstone,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Cocktail dresses and cozy twinsets have been swapped out for work-appropriate blazers and cardigans layered over shirts, though Rowe retained some of Jones’s flirty personality by dressing her in pieces such as a mini skirt, made more demure styled with stockings.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fresh off last week’s historic Album of the Year Grammy win, Spanish-rapping Bad Bunny brought his singular stamp of joy to Levi’s Stadium during Super Bowl LX, starting in a sugar cane field, in what many termed a cultural game changer.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In District 3, which covers the southwestern San Fernando Valley including Woodland Hills, Tarzana and Reseda, City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield is terming out, leaving the field open.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
