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Definition of "surname" []

  • A name shared in common to identify the members of a family, as distinguished from each member's given name. Also called family name, last name. (noun)
  • A nickname or epithet added to a person's name. (noun)
  • To give a surname to. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "surname" in a sentence
  • "His small stature was a bitter irony for someone whose surname translates as "Tall.""
  • "To this day Quisling's surname is shorthand for a politician willing to sell out his own country to the worst predators, if it looks like that might save his own interests."
  • "The 20-year-old Christophe Lemaitre (whose surname translates as 'The Master') recently became the first white sprinter to break the 10-second barrier with 9.98 sec in Valence."