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
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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
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Recent Examples of surnames
Raul A. Reyes, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
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
Noun
Many Isleños changed their original Spanish surnames to French last names once Louisiana came under French control, De la Nuez explained, which led to some descendants likely losing touch with their roots.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
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
-
Everyone on both sides of my family has always used family names, which has been really important to me to continue only using family names with my children.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The stealthy look is inspired by one of Jordan’s nicknames, which originated from his panther-like abilities on the court and has been the design muse for several of his sneakers.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
9 Nov. 2025
-
They’re most commonly known by their nicknames, Chub Perm, Mclovin, No Name, and Nonchalant Kid.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Parents,
3 Nov. 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
-
Many Isleños changed their original Spanish surnames to French last names once Louisiana came under French control, De la Nuez explained, which led to some descendants likely losing touch with their roots.—
Raul A. Reyes,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Their last names were not used.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 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 also names Diddy’s longtime attorney Kenneth Meiselas as a co-defendant.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The suit also names White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, along with the offices for president and vice president.—
NPR,
NPR,
5 Nov. 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
Cite this Entry
“Surnames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surnames. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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