- (of family names) derived from the name of a father or ancestor, especially by the addition of a suffix or prefix indicating descent.
- (of a suffix or prefix) indicating descent.
- a patronymic name, as Williamson (son of William) or Macdonald (son of Donald).
- a family name; surname.
- (of a name) derived from the name of its bearer's father or ancestor. In Western cultures, many surnames are patronymic in origin, as for example Irish names beginning with O' and English names ending with -son; in other cultures, such as Russian, a special patronymic name is used in addition to the surname
- a patronymic name
