Re: OT Roman names (was: names in conlangs)

Quoting R A Brown <ray@...>:

> 'Caesar', the cognomen, was indeed his immediate family name. These,
> like our surnames, often began as nicknames to distinguish one familia
> within a clan from another. It does not seem that everyone bothered with
> a cognomen; AFAIK the cognomen, if there was one, of the young Gaius
> Octavius is unrecorded. Also, although they were inherited, it seems
> they could also be changed - i.e. the were less permanent than our surnames.
I don't know if there's statistics or ancient statements to back it up, but it's
often said that cognomina were chiefly used by the upper echelons of society.

Another high-profile Roman without one is Gaius Marius.

                                            Andreas

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