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 sweeping structures bear a striking resemblance to the sensory organs sported by members of the insect world, which eventually granted them the nickname of the Antennae Galaxies.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The Barn is also a nickname for a house Ciani used to have in Boulder.—
Max Scheinblum,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That rare moniker is earned only when audiences track and fuel a film’s cultural staying power over time.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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Despite the moniker, the silvery orb will appear in its usual brilliant gray hue.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The person who shouted the epithet was John Davidson, an activist with Tourette syndrome, who removed himself from the room and later apologized, as did BAFTA and BBC, the show’s broadcaster, which failed to edit out the slur during the broadcast.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The red mesh sack, of the kind typically used to store oranges or onions, is stamped with her name, immigration number and date of deportation.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The neighborhood/area Buahan sits on the fringe of a small village with the same name.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
From there, Harris took on his adoptive parents’ surname.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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According to a Wall Street Journal report, the surname of a survivor was left unredacted, enabling news outlets to identify her.—
Danielle Powell Cobb,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Clicking into the title will give you even more information, including a blurb about what parents need to know, a breakdown of potential concerns and positive qualities about the book, and reviews from kids.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The title refers to the Quechua language that dates to the ancient Inca empire and is still spoken by millions of people in the Andes region of Peru.—
Adam Bell
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine — Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), the organization that determines global standards for health terms, receives up to 2,000 requests to amend nomenclature every year, either from individual members or groups.—
Annalisa Merelli,
STAT,
1 Apr. 2026
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Apart from achieving popular success by bringing botany to the people, Lamarck’s major purpose in French Flora was to exploit what seemed to be a little opening in the field of botany in the form of a rift among botanists regarding nomenclature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cognomen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cognomen. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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