surname

noun
/ˈsɜːˌneɪm/UK/ˈsɝˌneɪm/US

Etymology

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.

  1. derived from supernōmen, suprānōmen — “surname
  2. derived from surnum
  3. inherited from surname

Definitions

  1. The portion of a person's name that is generally hereditary or treated as an indicator of…

    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).

    • James is my first name, and Smith is my surname.
    • In late yeeres Surnames have beene given for Christian names among vs, and no where else in Christendom.
    • The Norman Conquest...brought with it the novelty of family nomenclature, that is to say, the use of hereditary surnames.
  2. Synonym of epithet, an additional name, particularly those derived from a birthplace,…

    Synonym of epithet, an additional name, particularly those derived from a birthplace, quality, or achievement.

    • Barsabas (whose syrname was Iustus).
    • My sirname is Peace-Maker, one that is but poorely regarded in England.
    • To his sur-name Coriolanus longs more pride Then pitty to our Prayers.
  3. Synonym of nickname, an additional name given to a person, place, or thing, a byname.

    • I have before declared that Baal was the Sun, and Baal Peor, a sirname, from a particular place of his worship.
  4. + 3 more definitions
    1. The cognomen of Roman names.

    2. To give a surname to.

    3. To call by a surname.

      • “Lord,” said Sir Launcelot, “I am hight Launcelot, and am surnamed ‘He of the Lake.’”
      • The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was arrested in the city’s Jhonghe District (中和) on Friday afternoon, after investigators combed through surveillance video footage a day earlier, police said.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for surname. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA