surname
Use Surname in a sentence
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noun
1.
the name that a person has in common with other family members, as distinguished from a Christian name or given name; family name.
2.
a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.
verb (used with object)
3.
to give a surname to; call by a surname.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To surname
Collins
World English Dictionary
surname (ˈsɜːˌneɪm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | last name, Also called: second name a family name as opposed to a first or Christian name |
| 2. | (formerly) a descriptive epithet attached to a person's name to denote a personal characteristic, profession, etc; nickname |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (tr) to furnish with or call by a surname |
| [C14: via Anglo-French from Old French surnom. See | |
| 'surnamer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Surname
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
surname
early 14c., "name, title, or epithet added to a person's name," from sur "above" + name; modeled on Anglo-Fr. surnoun "surname" (early 14c.), variant of O.Fr. surnom, from sur "over" + nom "name." Meaning "family name" is first found late 14c. Hereditary surnames existed among
Norman nobility in England in early 12c., among common people began to be used 13c., increasingly frequent until near universal by end of 14c. The process was later in the north of England than the south. The verb is attested from 1540s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
surname
name added to a "given" name, in many cases inherited and held in common by members of a family. Originally, many surnames identified a person by his connection with another person, usually his father (Johnson, MacDonald); others gave his residence (Orleans, York, Atwood [i.e., living at the woods]) or occupation (Weaver, Hooper, Taylor). A surname could also be descriptive of a person's appearance (Little, Red) or his exploits (Armstrong).
Learn more about surname with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Searching the family surname can be a good way to determine if part of your family tree has already been constructed.
Peculiar though her first name may be, her surname indicates to her countrymen that she was born to the media purple.
The indexes provide surname, first, and middle names or initials of the plaintiff and defendants involved in the civil case.
Another form of surname was derived from the name of a father or grandfather.
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