Editing Cognomen (section)

==Contemporary term==
{{see|nickname|surname|epithet|clan name (disambiguation){{!}}clan name}}
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".<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Cognomen?s=t Cognomen] dictionary.com</ref> The basic sense in English is "how one is well known". For example [[Alfred the Great]]. (This is more similar to the Roman use of [[agnomen]] than their use of cognomen.)

[[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''cognom'' and [[Italian language|Italian]] ''cognome'', derived from the Latin ''cognomen'', mean "family name". [[Maltese language|Maltese]] ''kunjom'' is derived from the Italian version and retains the same meaning.

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 people|Xhosa]] ([[Iziduko]]), the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] ([[Oriki]]), and the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] ([[Izibongo]]).