Thesaurus results for SURNAMES

surnames 1 of 2

noun

plural of surname

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

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

surnames

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of surname

as in titles

Related 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

Noun

Cricket South Africa said players will take the field with the names of breast cancer fighters or survivors replacing their own surnames on the backs of their shirts. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 The couple lived between New York City, Denmark, France, and Tuxedo Park, according to listing agent Richard Ellis, and their surnames inspired the property’s name. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026 This insularity causes the same surnames to show up over and over in public records from Followers communities in Idaho, and, just as happened in the faith’s earlier generations, the sprawling Followers families tend to intermarry. — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 In 2019, his great-nephews Albert and Lawrence Lewitinn (their surnames are spelled differently than the artist’s) inherited about 1,000 of the artist’s works. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 He and younger sister Jolie were primarily raised by mom Bertrand after her divorce from Voight, and both publicly use their middle names as their surnames. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026 Last year, those bases reverted to their original names, but with different namesakes who share Confederate surnames. — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 Like most Spanish people, Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, has two surnames — one inherited from his father, another from his mother. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 July 2026 Decade after decade, Chicagoans with Italian surnames have hidden instead of objected. — Gary Grasso, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surnames

Noun

There’s no rule banning an heir from naming their child after a color or city, but using oft-traditional family names lends historical weight to a future ruler from the day they’re born.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026
Others have kept family names with local ties, like Wade Ford and Curry Honda.

— Sean Tucker, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of family names

Verb

Certain Regard; Toronto titles Angh by Theja Rio, which won the Platform Award, automatically qualifying it for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, and Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Sinner, the 2024 Miami Open champion, became the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the Sunshine Double — winning Indian Wells and Miami titles back-to-back — and the first in history to win the double without losing a set.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026

Definition of titles

Noun

Prompted by a lack of spaces for trans people, Lydia Savage, along with collaborators Sabrina, Naomi, Marc and Elith (all asked to not include their last names), decided to create Trans*cendent in 2023.

— Candace Hansen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Parents Karollyn and Nate, who are not sharing their last names at this time, welcomed baby girl Cielle Ray inside their vehicle, American Medical Response said in a statement shared with ABC News.

— Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of last names

Noun

The raid drew criticism over separating families, and a group of Idahoans sued, saying officers hurled racial epithets and largely withheld water, food, bathrooms and medical care.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 15 Aug. 2026
Hochman detailed a number of prosecutions, including the sentence of one man to a life sentence plus seven years with the possibility of parole for a March 23 attack, during which racial epithets were uttered.

— City News Service, Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of epithets

Verb

Patti Wilson, who styles Cher, is here with an assistant who is taking notes; there is Roth’s own personal assistant, whose last job was at Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood; and there’s Roth’s social media manager, who has been filming the whole thing.

— Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
My mom styles her maxi dresses with sneakers like white Vejas or sandals like this Sorel pair (which carried her through Italy pain-free), depending on the day’s activities.

— Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026

Definition of styles

Verb

On the left, an approach that Neem terms post-American has taken root, pushing the arguments of the 1970s in an ever more emphatic direction.

— Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
Perez, a Cuban-American attorney who terms out from the House this year, has emerged as one of Florida Republicans’ most influential and divisive figures.

— Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026

Definition of terms

Browse Nearby Words

surnamed

surnames

surnaming

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Surnames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surnames. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of surnames

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bon vivant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes