last names
Inherited family words
Last names are the family names that follow given names in most Western naming conventions, inherited from parents and shared among relatives.
Also called surnames or family names.
They developed from various sources—occupations (Smith, Baker), locations (Hill, Woods), parentage (Johnson, O'Brien), or personal characteristics (Strong, Little).
What's your last name?
She took her husband's last name when they married.
Property received from ancestors
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- legacyWhat's passed down
- pedigreeRecord of descent
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
progeny · offspring · descendants · heirs · estate · title · coat of arms · crest
Descent from progenitors
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- family treeChart of ancestors
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- forebearsAncestral family members
ancestors · progenitors · roots · forefathers · predecessors · kinfolk · stock · ethnicity
Related group sharing ancestry
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- houseResidential building
- tribeSocial group sharing ancestry
- casteInherited social division
nobility · aristocracy · diaspora · immigration · Ellis Island · homeland · nationality · regional
Secondary name or epithet
- hyphenatedLinked by a dash
- anglicizedMade to seem English
- monikerInformal designation for someone
- appellationName or title given
hereditary · spelling · pronunciation · transliteration · romanization · prefix · suffix · particle
inheritance
Property received from ancestors
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- legacyWhat's passed down
- pedigreeRecord of descent
dynasty · progeny · offspring · descendants · heirs · estate · title · coat of arms · crest · motto
lineage
Descent from progenitors
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- family treeChart of ancestors
- descentDownward slope or lineage
forebears · ancestors · progenitors · roots · forefathers · predecessors · kinfolk · stock · ethnicity · origin
clan
Related group sharing ancestry
caste · nobility · aristocracy · diaspora · immigration · Ellis Island · homeland · nationality · regional · occupational
byname
Secondary name or epithet
- hyphenatedLinked by a dash
- anglicizedMade to seem English
- monikerInformal designation for someone
appellation · hereditary · spelling · pronunciation · transliteration · romanization · prefix · suffix · particle · apostrophe
- namesnicknames, forenames, nickname, pseudonyms, aliases
- family generationsgenerations, generation, grandparents, grandchildren, grandparent
- surnamesSmith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones
- etiquettemanners, politeness, etiquette, table manners, courtesy
last namesfirst names
Personal names at birth
given names · forenames · Christian names · personal names · birth names
name, last, naming, surname, names, nameless, surnames, last name, patronymic