Changes

==Example==

==Example==

An example might be of a family having Gaulish ancestory and still identified as such, so they might add ''galli'' or a derivative thereof onto the family name. Likewise they might add something to indicate having red hair or the likes.  Similarly, the name of a god the family acknowledged could be added, an industry or anything the family wished to declare about themselves. Therefore, the cognomen was not the family name, but extra information attached thereto upon which an [[agnomen]] could yet be declared.

An example might be of a family having Gaulish ancestory and still identified as such, so they might add ''galli'' or a derivative thereof onto the family name; for such was the example of [[Octavian]] prior to his adoption by [[Julius Caesar]] wherein he used the ''cognomen'' of ''Thurinus'' indicating the township of [[Turi]] in [[Apulia]] located in southern [[Italy]].

 

Likewise the family might add something to indicate having red hair or the likes.  Similarly, the name of a god the family acknowledged could be used.  Again an industry might be added such as the common English ''cognomens'' now used as last names of ''Smith'' or ''Thatcher''.  But ultimately the ''cognomen'' could be anything the family wished that helped describe themselves.

 

Of such the best commonly known example would be that of [[Gaius Julius Caesar]] manifesting the [[praenomen]], [[nomen]], ''cognomen'', but never an officially attached an [[agnomen]].  Whereas to the family / [[gens]] [[nomen]] became attached the variant spelling of [[caesa]] denoting a ''cut'' (of a sword, knife or spear)<ref>Online Latin Dictionary, ''Caesa''<br>https://www.online-latin-dictionary.com/latin-english-dictionary.php?lemma=CAESA100</ref> making it a fitting ''cognomen'' that continued its use accross the successors of the Emperorship while not implying any genetic heritage but maintaining a consistent convention, a heritage and lineage nonetheless.

 

As such the '''cognomen''' is best thought of as ''extra information that the family wanted to declare about themselves''.

==Etymology==

==Etymology==