Word Study
patronym
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun patronym has 1 sense
- patronym(n = noun.communication) patronymic - a family name derived from name of your father or a paternal ancestor (especially with an affix (such as -son in English or O'- in Irish) added to the name of your father or a paternal ancestor); Array is a kind of name
Derived form adjective patronymic1
For further exploring for "patronym" in Webster Dictionary Online