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.
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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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The Hoosier Dome opened in 1984, mall culture grew as teens and shoppers flocked to Castleton Square and plans for Circle Centre got underway, all while Indy began to outgrow its 'Naptown' nickname.—
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Simpson is a member of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Santa Monica Mountains Task Force trail crew, known often by their nickname, the Trailies.—
Noun
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The spurious designation of Qassem Soleimani as a global terrorist, something long requested by Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the expansion of the designation to other entities long held off from the moniker out of fear of its implications.—
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Can an equitable, sustainable and transparent system be established to facilitate athletes monetizing their intellectual property rights, or does the Wild West moniker remain true while boosters and private equity play an outsized role?—
Noun
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Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.—
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The doc has also earned the ire of Chase’s former Community co-star Yvette Nicole Brown, who firmly distanced herself from it and all attempts to reinvestigate Chase’s firing from the show amid accusations of hurling racial epithets.—
Noun
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HotHands is the most recognizable name in disposable warmers for a reason.—
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This year’s list of candidates previously lacked huge names like last year’s headliners, Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson.—
Noun
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Though he had been given the surnames of both his parents—Ramírez and Sánchez—as was customary in Venezuela, his first name had been chosen by his father, a successful lawyer with strong left-wing views for whom Lenin was a hero.—
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Some are named after former West Ham players, such as Noel Cantwell and Jimmy Ruffell — though the latter’s surname is misspelt as Ruffle.—
Noun
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Head coach Jeremiah Behrendsen CBS Behrendsen credits the title to a team built on belief, discipline and an unshakable culture.—
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Dickson and 2023 Boise Open champion Chan Kim are the only players in Korn Ferry Tour history to win without making a bogey, Dickson won his third title on the tour in his 100th start.—
Noun
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Both Taylor Ham and Pork Roll, whose dueling nomenclature is apparently a Jersey-style source of contention, will also be served.—
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Briggs believes that the reputation of the ‘Twilight Zone’ stems partly from its nomenclature.—
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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