family name
(redirected from Ancestral names)Also found in: Thesaurus.
family name
n.
See surname.
family name
n
1. a surname, esp when regarded as representing the family honour
2. a first or middle name frequently used in a family, often originally a surname
fam′ily name`
n.
the hereditary surname of a family.
[1690–1700]
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| Noun | 1. | family name - the name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name) name - a language unit by which a person or thing is known; "his name really is George Washington"; "those are two names for the same thing" maiden name - a woman's surname before marriage |