Cognomen

The cognomen ("name known by" in English) was originally the third name of a Roman in the Roman naming convention. The term is also occasionally seen in modern times as an obscure synonym for nickname or epithet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because of the limited nature of Roman names, the cognomen developed to distinguish branches of the family from one another, and occasionally, to highlight an individual's achievement, typically in warfare. Some Romans – notably general Gaius Marius – had no cognomen at all. By the Late Roman Republic, however, the use of cognomen even in daily conversation had become typical.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In contrast to the honorary cognomen adopted by successful generals, most cognomen were based on a physical or personality quirk; for example, 'Rufus' meaning red-headed or 'Scaevola' meaning left-handed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today, we refer to many prominent ancient Romans by only their cognomen; for example, 'Cicero' serves as a shorthand for Marcus Tullius Cicero and Caesar for Gaius Julius Caesar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roman: Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and several geographic locations....

Roman naming convention: In the Roman naming convention used in ancient Rome, male names typically contain three proper nouns which are classified as praenomen (or given name), nomen gentile (or Gens name) and cognomen. Sometimes a second cognomen (called agnomen) is added. A male who was adopted also showed his "filiation...

Synonym: Synonyms (in ancient Greek syn 'συν' = plus and onoma 'όνομα' = name) are different words with similar or identical meanings. Antonyms are words with opposite or nearly opposite meanings. (Synonym and antonym are antonyms.)...