"Surname" - dictionary definition
1. 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.
2. A nickname or epithet added to a person's name.
3. the name that a person has in common with other family members, as distinguished from a Christian name or given name; family name.
4. a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.
-verb (used with object)
sur-named, sur-nam-ing, sur-names
To give a surname to.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
"Surname" on Wikipedia
- A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases a surname is a family name; the family-name meaning first appeared in 1375. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". It is also known as a "last name" In some cultures, the surname may be a patronymic or matronymic, as is the case in Iceland.
- In some cultures, the surname comes first, followed by the given name(s); this is the case in Hungary, as well as China and other countries in the Far East. Japanese names are always in this order, although the Japanese commonly will reverse the order of their names for the convenience of Westerners, just as Hungarians do when associating with other Europeans.
- Surnames are often influenced by common elements: the name of the person's father or mother, the person's geographical origin, the person's occupation, or a descriptive nickname for the person. When they were created they answered one of the following questions: To whom is this person related? Where is this person from? What does this person do for a living? What is this person's most prominent feature?
- In French Canada until the 19th century, several families adopted surnames that followed the family name in order to distinguish the various branches of a large family. Such a surname was preceded by the word "dit" ("said") and was known as a "nom-dit" ("said-name"). While this tradition is no longer in use, in many cases the nom-dit has come to replace the original family name. Thus the Bourbeau family has split into Bourbeau dit Verville, Bourbeau dit Lacourse, and Bourbeau dit Beauchesne. In many cases Verville, Lacourse, or Beauchesne has become the new family name. Likewise, the Rivard family has split into the Rivard dit Lavigne, Rivard dit Loranger, and Rivard dit Lanoie. The origin of the nom-dit can vary. Often it denoted a geographical trait of the area where that branch of the family lived: Verville lived towards the city, Beauchesne lived near an oak tree, Larivière near a river, etc. Some of the oldest noms-dits are derived from the war name of a settler who served in the army or militia: Tranchemontagne ("mountain slasher"). Others denote a personal trait: Lacourse might have been a fast runner, Legrand was probably tall, etc.