surname
part of speech
noun (a surname, surnames)
meaning for a pupil
A surname is your family name, the name you share with your family, which usually comes last in English names (in «Tom Smith», «Smith» is the surname). tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: God calls Cyrus by name, and people take on the name of Jacob or Israel as a sign that they belong to God. Interpretation: Tradition sees taking the name Israel as a sign of loyalty to God and His people. In the primary lessons: In school surnames are used in registers, alphabetical lists and when writing to teachers (Mrs Patel, Mr Jones). In history surnames often came from jobs (Smith, Baker), places (Hill) or fathers' names (Johnson = John's son). In online safety pupils learn not to share their full name and surname with strangers. Phrases: «first name and surname», «family name», «last name».
examples
- For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel Mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. (Prophets ISA.45.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- One shall say: 'I am the LORD'S'; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel. (Prophets ISA.44.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- Write your first name and your surname on the sheet. tree →
- My surname is Murphy, like my dad's. tree →
- The register is in order of surname. tree →
- «Baker» is a surname that came from a job. tree →
- Some people change their surname when they get married. tree →
- Don't put your surname on public posts online. tree →
- Her surname is hard to spell, so she spells it out. tree →
- In Chinese names, the surname comes first. tree →
- "Oh, they're the surnames of some of the star families. tree →
note
Countable: «a surname». In the USA people usually say «last name». Not the same as «nickname». In alphabetical order by surname, compare the first letters, then the second, and so on (Brown before Browning).
In the corpora
- You call teachers Mr, Mrs, Ms or Miss with their surname, or Sir and Miss in many British schools.
- Teachers are called Mr, Mrs, Ms or Miss with their surname, or Sir and Miss in many British schools.
- The best habit is to learn every noun with le or la in front, like a surname.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «surname» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.