Cognomen:
The term “cognomen” (sometimes pluralized “cognomens”) has come into use as an English noun used outside the context of Ancient Rome. According to the 2012 edition of the Random House Dictionary, cognomen can mean a “surname” or “any name, especially a nickname.”[4] So the basic sense in English is ‘how one is well known.’
Catalan cognom and Italian cognome, derived from the Latin cognomen, mean “family name.”
The term “cognomen” can also be applied to cultures with a clan structure and naming conventions comparable to those of Ancient Rome; thus, hereditary “cognomina” have been described as in use among the Xhosa (Iziduko), the Yoruba (Oriki), or the Zulu (Isibongo). [Wikipedia]
Used in Jack Vance’s The Killing Machine:
First: the Demon Princes are typified by grandeur. Consider the manner in which Kokor Hekkus gained his cognomen ‘The Killing Machine,’ …
Yep, I like Vance.
