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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Photo of the day: Welcome to the Mammoths The Utah Hockey Club unveiled its new nickname, the Mammoth, and its logo Wednesday.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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Salt Spring more than deserves the nickname the Island of the Arts.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The directing pair, who also work under the ‘Similar But Different’ moniker, started out in commercials and music videos.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
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The most recent pope with that moniker, Pope Leo XIII, was head of the Church from 1878 until 1903, and was a force of connection as the Church navigated relationships with civil governments — and was less opposed to scientific progress, according to Britannica.com.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Police said an investigation revealed the man had been sitting in the plaza when the woman approached him and without provocation spat on him while yelling a racial epithet directed at Black people.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
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The word has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth — but to fix the housing crisis, the country needs more of it.—
Conor Dougherty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Texas Department of Public Safety runs the database but local law enforcement agencies are responsible for entering the names.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
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The nutmeg name seem to have a rather mixed history here.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Out of the four couples living in London with the surname, Steggle believes only the playwright and his wife could have afforded to live in the relatively prosperous area.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2025
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The new pope’s name, as well as his baptismal names, will be translated into Latin in the announcement but his former surname will remain in his native language.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
Noun
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But, just like the last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, the National League West isn’t presenting the easiest of paths.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
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The title looks like a novelty, so an uptempo song seems obvious.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
9 May 2025
Noun
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But whatever the nomenclature, keeping BE FAST in mind could lead to more examples like Wanda Mercer, who shared her experience in a previous column.—
Paula Span,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Continue to prioritize high organic rankings through content optimization, metadata, file nomenclature and link building, as AI favors top-ranking sites.—
Larry Gurreri,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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