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
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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of surname
Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
And while some billionaires built their success from the ground up, there are certain surnames whose appearances on lists of the world’s wealthiest individuals span generations.
—Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 18 Dec. 2024
Chris Lau, CNN, 9 May 2023
The Chengdu police used social media on Wednesday to report that a 39-year-old man surnamed Chen was arrested on suspicion of opening a casino.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for surname 
Noun
There was something slightly more unusual about the experience of Natalie, 26, who asked that her surname be omitted from this story.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
And while some billionaires built their success from the ground up, there are certain surnames whose appearances on lists of the world’s wealthiest individuals span generations.
—Madeline Fitzgerald, Quartz, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
Gansu authorities said the suspect, surnamed Hong, was questioned in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province on May 5.
—Chris Lau, CNN, 9 May 2023
The Chengdu police used social media on Wednesday to report that a 39-year-old man surnamed Chen was arrested on suspicion of opening a casino.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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Next is the Aorus Elite 16, another laptop with a family name derived from Gigabyte’s motherboard offerings.& Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 12 Jan. 2025
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The weight of his family name has been heavy and the request was made to the EFL for the younger Bellingham to carry Jobe on the back of his shirt shortly after arriving at the Stadium of Light.The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The city bequeathed him a new nickname, borrowed from their greatest footballing son — ‘Kvaradona’.David Ornstein, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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The Chiefs’ official website says the name was in honor of Bartle – a larger-than-life mayor who got the nickname after serving as a chief executive of the Boy Scouts – and his effort to help lure the team to Kansas City.Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In a case titled TikTok v. Merrick Garland, the app's legal team and lawyers from the Justice Department will argue before the Supreme Court in an emergency hearing.Bobby Allyn, NPR, 10 Jan. 2025
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Additionally, the husband and wife duo released a book titled Counting The Cost in September 2023, which detailed a dark reality of what went on behind the scenes of the show and the toxic culture in which Jill was raised.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The singer, who took on Affleck's last name, has also had her legal name restored to Jennifer Lynn Lopez.Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
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On the show, Serena — their last names were not used — highlighted one common occurrence: covering Nate on typically joint expenses like travel and dining out.Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Just last month, neo-Nazis marched in uniform throughout the streets of Ohio’s capital, shouting racial epithets.Derrick Johnson, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
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For example, if a butterfly like Papilio glaucus were transferred to a genus with a feminine name, the epithet glaucus (masculine form) would be adjusted to glauca to agree in gender with the new genus.The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The man who will make the first No. 1 overall pick in Tennessee Titans franchise history has been named.David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
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Few people questioned Howe naming an unchanged line-up when the team sheet was announced, given the nine-game winning run, but perhaps the short turnaround from Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers required fresh legs.Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Share your vision and show shoppers how to style your products.Lauren Parker, WWD, 15 Jan. 2025
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Here's how to style one for your hair type, according to a hairstylist: Shop all of our latest obsessions in one place!Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Those sequences of numbers are numerical vectors that are termed word embeddings.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2025
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At the time, Combs vehemently denied all of Ventura’s claims, including those of drugging her and forcing her to engage in what later became termed the freak-offs.Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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