surname English · revision 989
11 Oct 2026, 04:12 by bogdan “New entry from the dictionary sources (AHD, Barnhart, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary)” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈsɜːˌneɪm/ ''(UK)''; /ˈsɝˌneɪm/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ Formed in Middle English from [[sur-]] “over, above” and [[name]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) on the model of [[xno|surnoun]], a variant of Old French ''surnom''.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) Middle English also used ''surnoun'' itself.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A name, title or epithet added to a person's name, especially one derived from a birthplace or some quality or achievement (c. 1330).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Such added names tended to be passed down and became family names,^(Etymonline) and by 1375 ''surname'' meant the name shared by the members of a family, as distinct from a given name.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Hereditary surnames existed among the Norman nobility in England in the early 12th century and became nearly universal among ordinary people by the end of the 14th.^(Etymonline) Old English had ''tōnama'' and ''frēonama'' for an added name.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1330 – an added name or epithet.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * 1375 – a family name.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * 15th century – verb, to give a surname to.^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1512 – verb, to call by a surname.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # The name shared by members of a family, as distinct from each person's [[given name]]; a family name or [[last name]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A name or [[epithet]] added to a person's name, as for an achievement or characteristic; a [[nickname]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ===Verb===
+ # To give a surname to; to call by a surname.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[nickname]]
+ * [[cognomen]]
+ * [[forename]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ Wiktionary notes that ''surname'' is somewhat preferred in the UK and ''last name'' in the US, and that ''family name'' is increasingly used in multicultural contexts.^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}