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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surname
Eunice Yoon,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024
An employee surnamed Lin who answered the phone at Gold Apollo but declined to provide her full name or title said the company did not directly fill the pager order from Hezbollah, and that BAC handles the vast majority of device sales from Middle Eastern customers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
At the mention of the close match’s surname, Vicki’s face turned bright red.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
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
An employee surnamed Lin who answered the phone at Gold Apollo but declined to provide her full name or title said the company did not directly fill the pager order from Hezbollah, and that BAC handles the vast majority of device sales from Middle Eastern customers.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
Verb
Page, whose real surname was Pylant, died June 25 due to the effects of fentanyl and cocaine, with the manner ruled accidental, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s records.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
At the mention of the close match’s surname, Vicki’s face turned bright red.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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The family name is kind of a big deal in Arlington.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Sep. 2025
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Because of this and his family name, Arch’s recruiting process was set to be a media circus, but with the help of his parents, Arch and his family shut that down to maintain his focus on making the best decision.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His catchy nickname — Control-Alt-Delete — earns style points.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
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Like the scrappy bird in their nickname, the tenacious Toronto Blue Jays have clawed their way to 45 come-from-behind victories – most in the major leagues – and 87 overall, tops in the American League with under two weeks left in the 2025 campaign.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The legislation, titled the American Tech Workforce Act, was introduced this week.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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The photo, informally titled The Scourged Back and depicting an escaped slave believed to have been named Peter Gordon, has been in wide circulation since the nineteeth century and is evocative of the horrors and injustice of slavery.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Others, including Connecticut and Delaware, distribute according to the first letter of a recipient's last name.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Peter, whose last name is unknown, served as a sergeant in Black regiment in the Union Army during the Civil War, according to the National Portrait Gallery.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On his next broadcast, Maher convened guests like Ice Cube and Michael Eric Dyson to call him to task for using the epithet and to explore the issues about its us.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
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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
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On September 7, dog owner Brittany U'Wren was devastated to learn that her rescue Shitzu mix, named Lexi, had escaped through the garage and disappeared from her home in Lexington, Kentucky.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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For Garza, the economy is more significant, citing a poll conducted in May by sister organization LIBRE Institute that found the economy and jobs are the most pressing concern for a plurality of Latino voters at 47%, with another 35% naming inflation.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, her muddy blond hair was styled in a messy half-up, half-down look, the back of her hair propped up on the crown of her head like a bird’s nest.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
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Heritage luxury house Johnstons of Elgin make a gorgeous version of the plain white tee in cashmere, easily styled with all manner of outfits from beach shorts to evening suits, or a more relaxed cut in superfine merino.—
Nick Hendry,
Robb Report,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One additional tax to be aware of is what’s termed a wealth tax.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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However, instead of dedicated keys, leaping is merely a part of THE's internal command line, termed the Humane Quasimode, where other commands can be sent.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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