surname
noun
surĀ·name
| \ ĖsÉr-ĖnÄm
\
\
Definition of surname
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
verb
surnamed;
surnaming;
surnames
Definition of surname (Entry 2 of 2)
: to give a surname to
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Examples of surname in a Sentence
Noun
judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian āda Vinciā was Leonardo's surname but not his family name, Vinci being the town near Florence where the great artist was bornRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Japan adopted the first name before surname order for use in English about 150 years ago as a way to modernize and internationalize itself by imitating the Western style, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. — Mari Yamaguchi, BostonGlobe.com, "Japan to put surname first for Japanese names in English," 6 Sep. 2019 The new study, which used Y-chromosomal DNA profiling and surname prediction based on genealogical data ties JB 55 to a farmer named John Barber. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "New England āVampireā Was Likely a Farmer Named John," 5 Aug. 2019 An overwhelming majority of those killed had Spanish surnames. — NBC News, "With no family in town, husband of El Paso shooting victim invites public to her funeral," 14 Aug. 2019 But bestowing the motherās surname alone has yet to enter the collective consciousness as a viable alternative. — Adrienne Brodeur, Glamour, "Our Children Have My Last Name. No, My Husband Doesnāt Mind," 13 Aug. 2019 Jamie even sports a purple jersey on game days with the Louisiana version of his surname, Burreaux, emblazoned on its rear. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Meet Joe Burrow: LSU's Toughest Renaissance Man and Maybe Savior at QB," 15 July 2019 Why do some people use the surname Windsor, without the Mountbatten? — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "The Complicated History of the Royal Family's Last Name, Mountbatten-Windsor," 12 May 2019 Shanghai police had earlier confirmed the detention of a man with the surname Wang but would not provide any other details. — Steven Jiang, CNN, "Chinese real estate billionaire Wang Zhenhua arrested for alleged child molestation," 11 July 2019 The film presents viewers with two women: Chloe Wofford (Morrisonās birth name) and Toni Morrison (an alias adapted from her Catholic name, Anthony, and her ex-husbandās surname). — Syreeta Mcfadden, The Atlantic, "A Documentary That Shows Another Side of Toni Morrison," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'surname.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for surname
surname
noun
English Language Learners Definition of surname
: the name that is shared by the people in a family
See the full definition for surname in the English Language Learners Dictionary
surname
noun
surĀ·name
| \ ĖsÉr-ĖnÄm
\
\
Kids Definition of surname
: the name that comes at the end of someone's full name
James Smith's surname is Smith.
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