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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 surname
Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
As an aside, the surname of Lindsay is a nod to the author Jeff Lindsay who wrote the series of novels that inspired the mothership series which ran for 8 seasons from 2006 to 2013.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 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
Nikitin, whose legal surname is Kapustin, is one of Europe’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, starting out small with fight club events held in backwater Russian cities among amateurs from soccer hooligan and skinhead groups.
—Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
As an aside, the surname of Lindsay is a nod to the author Jeff Lindsay who wrote the series of novels that inspired the mothership series which ran for 8 seasons from 2006 to 2013.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 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
-
Posada recently got a tattoo featuring his family name in script and wrapped in a bed of olive leaves.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Next is the Aorus Elite 16, another laptop with a family name derived from Gigabyte’s motherboard offerings.—
& Matthew Buzzi,
PCMAG,
12 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Opting for relationship terms (auntie) or unrelated nicknames (little cabbage) is the default.—
Shayla Love,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2025
-
One nickname — Zombie tranq — reflects shambling from deep sedation.—
Pat Beall,
Orlando Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The new show, titled Duck Dynasty: The Revival, will once again follow the Robertson family as Willie and Korie Robertson focus on plotting the future for the family’s Duck Commander business and watch their own children deal with the challenges of adulthood.—
Rick Porter,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Kunis played a young addict that works through her addiction with her mother's help in the movie, which is based on a book titled How's Amanda?—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
After the divorce, Charlotte kept Mike’s last name and the top half of the building; Mike sold the bottom half, and, in 1969, moved abroad to be the European editor of the Voice.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
-
The teen seemingly distanced herself even further from the Mission Impossible actor by dropping his last name.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The next day, one of his supporters called U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s chambers and called her a racial epithet.—
Josh Meyer,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
-
In Greek mythology, Chloe was an epithet of the goddess Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Warner Chappell Publishing was a frequent winner at the annual BMI, ASCAP and SESAC Awards in Nashville, with the subsidiary Warner-Tamerlane Publishing being named publisher of the year at the most recent BMI Country Awards in November, with Vaughn in attendance for the honors.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2025
-
She was ranked 25th in VH1’s 1999 list of the Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2009, she was named icon of the year at the U.K.-based Q Awards.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Among such athletes is Kansas City Chiefs football star Travis Kelce, who styled his own fashionable threads before the AFC Championship Game in Kansas City.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The brown suede style, complete with a shaggy trim, was styled with brown leather knee boots—and is exactly the type of look that Penny would wear to a ’70s rock show.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The 2022 deal has been termed by some, including one finance professor who spoke to the Journal in 2023, as one of the worst merger finance deals since the 2008 financial crisis.—
Will McCurdy,
PCMAG,
25 Jan. 2025
-
In essence, by terming the coin as an artwork, the issuers of $TRUMP shift the coin’s primary purpose away from financial speculation and possibly the watchful eye of the Securities and Exchange Commision.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to surname
Thesaurus Entries Near surname
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share