surname

1 of 2

noun

sur·​name ˈsər-ˌnām 

1

: an added name derived from occupation or other circumstance : nickname sense 1

2

: the name borne in common by members of a family

surname

2 of 2

verb

surnamed; surnaming; surnames

transitive verb

: to give a surname to

Synonyms

Noun

• family name
• last name

Examples of surname in a Sentence

Noun

judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian

“da Vinci” was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was born

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday, Dec. 2, the actor, 55, corrected the host Colbert, 60, on the right way to say his surname after several years of him mispronouncing it on the show. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024

During his sixth visit to The Late Show on Monday, the James Bond alum took a moment to educate host Stephen Colbert on how to properly pronounce his surname. —EW.com, 3 Dec. 2024

Verb

Zhang’s late wife, surnamed Sun, fell to her death during an aerial silks performance with her husband in a village in Anhui province in April last year, sparking horror and outcry on social media over the lack of safety measures for performers. —Nectar Gan, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

surname

noun

sur·​name

ˈsər-ˌnām

1

: an added name : nickname

2

: the name held in common by members of a family

surname verb