surname
verb
- to give an additional name, title, or epithet to (a person)
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L328861 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsɜːˌneɪm/ / /ˈsɝˌneɪm/
noun
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.
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- The cognomen of Roman names.
verb
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.
- To give a surname to.
- 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.”