surnamed
surnamed — adjective
- surnamedpositive
- more surnamedcomparative
- most surnamedsuperlative
1. having a particular surname or family name that is shared by family members and
having a particular surname or family name that is shared by family members and passed down through generations — for example, a child surnamed Patel or a family surnamed Chen.
When Greta married Leo, she chose to keep her German surname instead of taking his Italian one.
collocation: keep one's surname after marriage
Lukas checked the class list and found that three students shared the surname 'Müller.'
Please write your surname in capital letters on the first line of the form.
Devika's surname is Patel, a very common family name in the state of Gujarat.
When Yara Wang visited her ancestral village, she found that most residents shared her surname.
- family name
same meaning; more transparent for learners
- last name
common in everyday North American English
- patronymic
a surname based on the father's name, common in Icelandic and Russian naming
- given name
the personal name chosen by parents at birth
- first name
the name that comes before the surname in English order
文法句型
someone + surnamed + [name]
用法筆記
In most English-speaking countries, the surname is written after the given name. However, in many East Asian cultures including Taiwan, the family name comes first. On English forms, 'surname,' 'last name,' and 'family name' all refer to the same thing.
常見錯誤
2. having a particular added name or nickname in former times, based on a person's
having a particular added name or nickname in former times, based on a person's occupation, location, or personal feature, used to tell them apart from others with the same first name — for example, a man surnamed 'Baker' because he made bread.
In medieval villages, a man named John received the surname 'Shepherd' because he tended sheep.
receive + the surname + [descriptive name]
The surname 'White' originally described someone with very light hair or pale skin.
descriptive origin of a surname
Amira's research showed that the surname 'Chandler' once meant a person who made candles.
Records show that Roger was given the surname 'Longsword' after fighting in a famous battle.
Leo the baker was surnamed 'Whitebread' by his neighbours because his loaves were always the lightest.
文法句型
someone + surnamed + [descriptive name]
用法筆記
This historical sense is now rare in everyday conversation. Most modern uses of 'surname' refer to the family-name sense (sense 1). You may encounter this sense in historical writing, genealogy, or discussions about the origin of names.
常見錯誤
surnamed — verb
- surnamedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- surnameds3rd person singular
- surnamedding-ing form
- surnameddedpast simple
1. given a particular surname or identified as having a particular last name — almo
given a particular surname or identified as having a particular last name — almost always used in the passive form 'was surnamed' when describing the name a person was given or known by.
The abandoned infant was surnamed 'Mercy' by the hospital staff who found her.
passive: was surnamed + [name] + by [person/group]
In Iceland, a boy is surnamed 'Eriksson' after his father, not given a fixed family name.
The emperor's youngest son was surnamed 'Hong' after the dynasty's founder, following royal tradition.
Kofi was officially surnamed 'Osei' when his parents registered his birth at the district office.
文法句型
be surnamed + [name]
be surnamed + after/by + [person/place]
用法筆記
This verb is almost exclusively used in the passive voice ('was surnamed'). The active form ('to surname someone') is extremely rare in modern English. Most of the time, speakers use 'name' or 'call' instead.