cognomen

noun

cog·​no·​men käg-ˈnō-mən  ˈkäg-nə- 

plural cognomens or cognomina käg-ˈnä-mə-nə 

-ˈnō-

1

: surname

especially : the third of the usually three names of an ancient Roman compare nomen, praenomen

2

: name

especially : a distinguishing nickname or epithet

cognominal

käg-ˈnä-mə-nᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• alias
• byname
• epithet
• handle
• moniker
• monicker
• nickname
• sobriquet
• soubriquet
• surname

Examples of cognomen in a Sentence

richly deserved the cognomen of “Butterfingers”

“Christopher Columbus” is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of the Tuscia — cognomen of lush forested Viterbo, crossed by the ancient Roman Francigena road and land of the Etruscans before that — Gradoli is also volcanic. —Susan H. Gordon, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021

The cognomen, or surname, of the Oba is Ekpen-owa, or home leopard. —NOLA.com, 1 Feb. 2021

Moore submitted dozens of wonderful, wondrous cognomens, including Mongoose Civique, Regina-rex, Aeroterre, Dearborn Diamanté and the deathless Utopian Turtletop. —Dan Neil, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2020

Denmark, Iceland, Hungary and Saudi Arabia also enforce specific naming conventions where common American cognomens might not make the cut. —Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin, irregular from co- + nomen name — more at name

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cognomen

noun

cog·​no·​men käg-ˈnō-mən  ˈkäg-nə-mən 

plural cognomens or cognomina -ˈnäm-ə-nə 

-ˈnō-mə-

1

: a person's last name : surname

2

: name entry 1 sense 1

especially : nickname entry 1