surname means
A surname or family name is a name added to a given name. In many cases, a surname is a family name and many dictionaries define surname as a synonym of family name.. In the western hemisphere, it is commonly synonymous with last name because it is usually placed at the end of a person's given name.or instance, the surname Vickers is thought to have arisen as an occupational name adopted by the servant of a vicar, while Roberts could have been adopted by either the son or the servant of a man named Robert.