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
Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Hispanic surnames Huff accused Zamora of mounting a primary challenge against her — rather than seeking an open seat or one held by a Latino judge — because of Huff’s race.
—Molly Smith, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Noun
For her and many other Iranians who spoke to CNN – their surnames withheld to protect their identities – the past three weeks have been filled with a sense of hopelessness and fear.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Hispanic surnames Huff accused Zamora of mounting a primary challenge against her — rather than seeking an open seat or one held by a Latino judge — because of Huff’s race.
—Molly Smith, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for surname
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surname
Noun
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There is pride in the family name.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
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In fact, the Drive doesn't even include the tent stake puller at the center of the model family name.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The sweeping structures bear a striking resemblance to the sensory organs sported by members of the insect world, which eventually granted them the nickname of the Antennae Galaxies.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The Barn is also a nickname for a house Ciani used to have in Boulder.—
Max Scheinblum,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The project generating this much conversation wasn’t a movie but instead a five-part miniseries titled The Screener directed by Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
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House Bill 154, titled the Georgia Sunshine Protection Act, passed the Senate with a vote of 45 to 5 on Monday.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Each player’s ring is also personalized with his signature, last name and number.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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Despite the two sharing the same last name, deputies did not note if the two missing women are related.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Among player recognitions this season, defenseman Eric Pohlkamp was recently named a top-10 finalist for the highest individual honor in men's college hockey, the Hobey Baker Award.—
Jack Lowenstein,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Top communications firm Shore Fire Media has named Angela Barkan CEO as founder Marilyn Laverty moves to chairman of Shore Fire and senior advisor to parent company Dolphin.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That mindset is influencing how classic pieces are styled across the board.—
Katie Ann Lehman,
StyleCaster,
24 Mar. 2026
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To style skinny jeans in a way that feels more 2026 than 2016, wear them under a dress or with kitten heels and a blazer.—
Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar,
Glamour,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This look is also termed the Cellophane.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
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Prediction market betting has come up in the governor’s race to succeed Newsom, who is termed out of office and cannot run again after this year.—
Lia Russell
March 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surname.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surname. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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