Agnomen

An Agnomen is an honoury fourth name that may be attached to a Roman citizen's name. An agnomen was often treated like a nickname and generally denoted a characteristic or some achievement.

Example

An example might be of a soldier being given an agnomen of Carnifex (butcher) such as when young Pompey was touted in Rome as "the teenage carnifex". In modern times, military pilots as with other soldiers, oft have their names appear with their callsign attached to the end as an indication of some event or characteristic: this is rightly an agnomen.

Etymology

Nomen, Latin, literally translated "Name" but in light of the praenomen, the nomen should be considered as a family name.

Agnosco, Latin, literally translated "to recognize", "to realize", "to decern".

Thereby the agnomen should be considered as a name by which one is recognized: a meaningful nickname that has a direct bearing upon the person named.