1
as in family names
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 nicknames
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 surnames
Ashley Hume , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Roughly 77% of all arrests by the first deputy the siblings saw at the gas station had Hispanic surnames, the judge found.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
Names can have a maximum of two first names and four surnames.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
The trust also listed multiple women with Eastern European surnames as beneficiaries.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Many descendants of the original settlers — with surnames like Crockett, Parks and Thomas — have remained to this day.
—Julie Depenbrock, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
There are new sets of rules on uniforms, including name plates bearing soldiers' surnames on Army Green Service Uniforms.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Many younger Red Sox weren’t in the majors, or even drafted in ‘19, the last time the league allowed players to replace their surnames with nicknames on the back of their Players’ Weekend jerseys.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
Beatrice and Eugenie's children do not have royal titles and use their fathers' surnames, reflecting their parents' wishes to raise them largely outside formal royal life.
—Ashley Hume , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Roughly 77% of all arrests by the first deputy the siblings saw at the gas station had Hispanic surnames, the judge found.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
Names can have a maximum of two first names and four surnames.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
The trust also listed multiple women with Eastern European surnames as beneficiaries.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Many descendants of the original settlers — with surnames like Crockett, Parks and Thomas — have remained to this day.
—Julie Depenbrock, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
There are new sets of rules on uniforms, including name plates bearing soldiers' surnames on Army Green Service Uniforms.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Many younger Red Sox weren’t in the majors, or even drafted in ‘19, the last time the league allowed players to replace their surnames with nicknames on the back of their Players’ Weekend jerseys.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surnames
Noun
-
Jimmy Kimmel posted an infographic on Instagram containing dozens of scathing nicknames that protesters can call the president on their signs.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Her son Kovey James often goes by KJ, while her daughter Quincy already has a handful of playful nicknames, like Q, Quinn and Quince.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Both titles hail from directors with whom Hawke has maintained a strong relationship.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In a keynote interview yesterday at MIPCOM, Le Goy was bullish about his studio’s chances of tapping into the growing demand for anime and games, titles thanks to its ownership of streamer Crunchyroll and its sister games biz, Sony Playstation.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Use chapter titles or epithets to set up what’s coming.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
The lawsuit, which names AES and John Sonday, alleged the company knew American Sporting Supplies was not following workplace safety laws in the building but failed to take any action.—
Kelly Puente,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Each class and then school names a winning book, and from those the school board names a districtwide winner.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The British capital — which styles itself as a competitor to New York in the world of finance — recently slipped out of the top 20 markets for stock debuts, behind such titans as Oman and Mexico.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Tube styles The single tube is a style that connects a tube to the diaphragm and splits into two before reaching the headset.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Brixius terms the results creolization, a hybridization of people and knowledge.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Peterson hosts a regular show on BBC Radio 6 Music, founded the influential Acid Jazz and Brownswood Recordings labels, and in recent years began the We Out Here festival in Dorset, England.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
-
And the startup not only attracts speculators directly on its website and mobile app, but also white labels its markets to brokers like Robinhood and Webull, adding liquidity and scale.—
Alicia Park,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surnames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surnames. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share