last name
"last-name" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“last name” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Synonym of surname, a person's family name.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | last name |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “last name” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for last name is 9 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for last name, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is last name, spelled L-A-S-T- -N-A-M-E.
Definition
- 1Synonym of surname, a person's family name.
- 2The last element of a full name, particularly when it could also be given name in East Asian and other cultural traditions.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "last name"?
What does "last name" mean?
What language does "last name" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “last name”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-S-T- -N-A-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.