1
as in nickname
a descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual
richly deserved the cognomen of "Butterfingers"
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2
as in moniker
a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known
"Christopher Columbus" is the Latinized cognomen of the navigator who was known to his Spanish crewmates as Cristóbal Colón
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Recent Examples of cognomen
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cognomen
Noun
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That includes name, image and likeness but also voice, signature, nickname and other unique personal aspects.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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Flintoff – better known by his nickname Freddie – was seriously injured in a motoring accident in 2022, during filming of the BBC car show Top Gear.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Richmond Times Dispatch hosted a reader contest to find a moniker for the new mascot and several front runners were considered including Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, and Hush Puppies.—
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2025
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Despite lacking professional wrestling training, she was quickly introduced to the WWE audience on the ECW brand under the moniker Kelly Kelly.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This species has no fragrance; its lavender appellation simply acknowledges its flower color while its rosemary epithet indicates its seacoast habitat.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
22 Mar. 2025
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More than a decade after Breaking Bad ended, Aaron Paul still can’t escape his character’s signature epithet.—
John Russell,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Beijing International Film Festival has unveiled that an exhibition featuring 150 posters for the movie hand-painted by director Yang Yu, who goes by the name Jiaozi, will take place during its 15th edition, which runs April 18-26.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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First discovered: 4:15 p.m. April 9 Initial location: Los Angeles County, Calif. Fire type: Wildfire Fire name: LAC-125527 A new wildfire was reported today at 4:15 p.m. in Los Angeles County.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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It was confirmed by The Times of London that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle changed their surname to Sussex for the sake of their children Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
8 Apr. 2025
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This story has been corrected to show the surname of The Atlantic journalist is Goldberg, not Rosenberg.—
Zeke Miller,
Twin Cities,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Florida Panthers will officially begin their Stanley Cup playoff run — and their chance to win back-to-back titles — on the road.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2025
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And now that momentum will need to be carried on by another title or this massive patch.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This crossover is fully electric, so the alphanumeric nomenclature can't refer to engine displacement—and not horsepower, either.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Ars Technica,
24 Mar. 2025
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The point of presenting is to clearly communicate, not dazzle the audience with your command of discipline-specific nomenclature.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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