An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the
Roman naming convention, was a
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
, just as the ''
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons. However, as the ''agnomen'' was an additional and optional component in a Roman name, not all Romans had an ''agnomen'' (at least not one that is recorded).
Pseudo-Probus uses the hero of the Punic Wars,
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, as an example:
Marius Victorinus further elucidates:
Africanus, Creticus and the likes are also known as
victory titles. For example,
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus
Gnaeus (or Gaius) Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who is said to have lived in the 5th century BC. He received his toponymic cognomen "Coriolanus" following his courageous actions during a Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli. He w ...
earned his from the capture of
Corioli.
Etymology
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''agnōmen'' (also spelled ) comes from ''ad'' "to" and ''nōmen'' "name".
Caligula
As a minimum, a Roman ''agnomen'' is a name attached to an individual's full titulature after birth and formal naming by the family. True Roman nicknames, fully replacing the individual's name in usage, are rare. One such example where the nickname fully replaced the individual's name in usage was the Emperor
Caligula, where that name was used in place of, and not along with, his full name, which was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Caligula's ''praenomen'' was Gaius, his ''nomen'' Julius, his ''cognomen'' Caesar. Some ''agnomina'' were inherited like ''cognomen'' were, thus establishing a sub-family. Caligula's ''agnomen'' came from the
little boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ. She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco. Since performing as a solo artist she has releas ...
he wore as part of his miniature soldier's uniform while accompanying his father
Germanicus on campaigns in northern
Germania. In turn, Germanicus received his agnomen in 9 BC, when it was posthumously awarded to his father
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus (38–9 BC), also called Drusus the Elder, was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a patrician Claudian on his birth father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family. He was the ...
in honour of his Germanic victories. At birth, Germanicus had been known as either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or
Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle. As with Caligula, Germanicus is mostly referred to by his agnomen.
Agnomens and pseudonyms
An ''agnomen'' is not a
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
, but a real name; agnomina are to, not for, an individual's full name. Parallel examples of ''agnomina'' from later times are
epithets like
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (though he is known more often by his agnomen than his first name) or popular nicknames like
"Iron" Mike Tyson or
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
See also
*
List of Imperial Roman victory titles
This is a list of victory titles assumed by Roman Emperors, not including assumption of the title ''Imperator'' (originally itself a victory title); note that the Roman Emperors were not the only persons to assume victory titles (Maximinus Thrax ...
*
Nomen (Roman name)
The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expan ...
*
Praenomen
*
Nomen nescio
*
Courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
References
{{Personal names
Roman naming conventions