surname
/ˈsəːneɪm
/noun
1A hereditary name common to all members of a family, as distinct from a forename or given name: he changed his surname from Kaye to Kasmin...
- Many people who have Hispanic surnames are not Hispanic.
- At least half of them share the same surname.
- Wu then adopted the child, who had her surname changed to Wu and currently lives with her biological mother.
Synonyms
family name, last name, patronymic
1.1 archaic A name, title, or epithet added to a person’s name, especially one indicating their birthplace or a particular quality or achievement: Simeon of the pillar, by surname Stylites...
- Not long after their arrival there, Mateo was referred to by another title - his surname changed from Ortega to DiBaena, in reference to their home town.
verb [with object]
Give a surname to: Eddie Penham, so aptly surnamed, had produced a hand-painted sign for us...
- One citizen, surnamed Xie, said he was driving along Hutai Lu at midnight on December 10 last year and stopped at a red light.
- A man in his 50s surnamed Wang spent three days in one agency.
- One of the two victims, a man surnamed Jin, was rescued.
Origin
Middle English: partial translation of Anglo-Norman French surnoun, suggested by medieval Latin supernomen.