ENGLISH
REFERENCE

surname

n. · v.
US //ˈsɝˌneɪm// UK //sˈɜːneɪm// sur·name
  1. 1 family name (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    the name you share with your family members.

    the portion of a person's name that is hereditary or indicates family membership.

    Example

    Please write your first name and your surname on the top of the form.

    Example

    In many Western cultures, the surname traditionally follows the given name, whereas in several East Asian cultures, the family name is placed first.
    • family name
    • last name
    • first name
    • given name
    Pitfall
    My surname is John.
    My first name is John; my surname is Smith.

    A surname is your family name, not the name your parents chose specifically for you.

  2. 2 an epithet or title (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    an extra name or title given to someone because of what they did or where they are from.

    an additional name or epithet, often derived from a quality, achievement, or place of origin.

    Example

    King Richard was given the surname 'the Lionheart' because of his courage.

    Example

    The historian noted that the monarch's surname was not a family designation but an honorific title bestowed after the successful campaign.
  3. 3 to give a name (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Literary

    to give someone a surname or to call them by one.

    to bestow a surname upon an individual or to address them by such a name.

    Example

    The prince was surnamed 'the Just' by his people.

    Example

    Though born into a common family, he was later surnamed after the estate he had managed so faithfully for decades.

    Usage

    This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Origin

Inherited from Middle English surname, a partial calque of Old French surnum, surnoun (“surname; nickname”) (whence Middle English surnoun), from Late Latin supernōmen, suprānōmen (“surname”), from super- (“over, above, beyond”) and nōmen (“name”), equivalent to sur- + name.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026