surname

Where does the word "surname" come from? It comes from Old French surnom, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Surname’s story begins in Old French: surnom meant “an additional name.” Literally over-name, an additional name placed above or beyond one's given name. It reached English by 1300s as surname. Settled as the English word for a family or last name. Today, surname means a hereditary family name, typically placed last.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · medieval surnom "an additional name", literally over-name, an additional name placed above or beyond one's given name.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s surname "a family name, a last name", settled as the English word for a family or last name.