What does surnaming mean?
Surnaming is the noun meaning the act of assigning a surname or family name to someone. It is especially associated with legal records, genealogy, immigration, and historical studies, where people may be identified by a name given by parents, officials, or a previous generation. In a second sense, surnaming means naming a person or place after someone else. The word is less common than surname and often appears in more formal or explanatory phrasing such as “the act of surnaming.” Its history reflects the development of hereditary family names and the many circumstances in which a person’s recorded identity was established. Although largely descriptive rather than figurative, it can also carry a historical gravity when naming practices involved discrimination, assimilation, forced change, or the loss of an earlier identity.
nounThe act or process of giving someone a surname or assigning them a family name. It can also refer to naming someone after another person.
- The act or process of assigning a surname or family name to someone.
- The act of naming someone after another person.
"The archive documents the surnaming of immigrants as they were admitted to the country."
"The history of surname adoption is particularly complex in communities that changed names for religious or political reasons."
"The poem reflects on the sur-naming of a village after its most influential founder."
The plural is rarely needed because the noun itself is uncommon.
"The guide discusses several different surnamings within the same family."
A surname literally means an “additional name”: it began as a name added to distinguish someone from others.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of surnaming
Surnaming was formed from the verb surname by adding the suffix -ing. Surname came through Middle English from Old French surnom, meaning an additional name, and was built from sur- (“over” or “additional”) and nom (“name”), with nom continuing Latin nomen. The same Latin name-root also underlies words such as nominate and nominal.
How surnaming is actually used
Somewhat uncommon outside legal, genealogical, and historical contexts. The phrase “the act of surnaming” is especially common in discussions of name changes and official records.