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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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.—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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.—
Séamus Malekafzali,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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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?—
Eddie Edwards Jr,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Jan. 2026
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.—
Rabbi Steve Roth,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
HotHands is the most recognizable name in disposable warmers for a reason.—
Ashlea Halpern,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
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This year’s list of candidates previously lacked huge names like last year’s headliners, Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Previously titled His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, Andrew will now be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, using the royal family's surname for direct descendants of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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On the left is the crest for Sophia’s mother’s surname, Fullerton.—
Lennie Omalza,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Deliver Me from Nowhere, based on the non-fiction book of the same title by author Warren Zanes.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Purdy, rendered ineffective by a torn ligament in his right elbow on the opening drive against the Eagles in a disastrous NFC title game loss three seasons ago, completed all three passes for 74 yards and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson.—
Dan Gelston,
Twin Cities,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Similar nomenclature slide may have brought us the yam name that way.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
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Loomis categorized the different types of brain waves into what became known as sleep states, and created a nomenclature to describe the phases of unconsciousness.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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