family names

plural of family name
as in surnames
a name shared by members of a family searched for their family name on a popular genealogy website

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for family names
Noun
  • Beatrice and Eugenie's children do not have royal titles and use their fathers' surnames, reflecting their parents' wishes to raise them largely outside formal royal life.
    Ashley Hume , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Roughly 77% of all arrests by the first deputy the siblings saw at the gas station had Hispanic surnames, the judge found.
    Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Byler is their last names fused together.
    Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
  • In July, another inmate at the same jail was mistakenly released due to what officials say was a clerical error stemming from two similar last names.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Family names.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/family%20names. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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