ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Surname

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈsɜːˌneɪm/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Surname is a noun meaning (Classical studies) The cognomen of Roman names.

Meaning

(Classical studies) The cognomen of Roman names.

More Meanings

  1. (transitive) To give a surname to.
  2. (transitive) To call by a surname.
  3. The portion of a person's name that is generally hereditary or treated as an indicator of a person's family, which may be shared with other members of the family, or otherwise derived from their names in some fashion; distinguished from that person's given name(s).
  4. (obsolete) Synonym of epithet, an additional name, particularly those derived from a birthplace, quality, or achievement.
  5. (obsolete) Synonym of nickname, an additional name given to a person, place, or thing, a byname.

Example Sentences

Barsabas (whose syrname was Iustus).
James is my first name, and Smith is my surname.
To his sur-name Coriolanus longs more pride Then pitty to our Prayers.
My sirname is Peace-Maker, one that is but poorely regarded in England.

Word Forms

Synonyms for surname

Depending on context, synonyms include last name, cognomen, to-name, epithet, nickname.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include last name, cognomen, forename, moniker, name, nickname.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.