The Latin Cognomina

Roman nomenclature is a very complex phenomenon, for the political, social, and cultural history of the Roman Empire, as well as the development of the Latin language, are faithfully mirrored in the form and content of the Roman name. While foreign elements have in general been satisfactorily dealt with (Greek names by Bechtel, Celtic by Holder, Illyrian by Krahe, etc.), the cognomina of Latin origin, the most important contingent of Roman cognomina, have not so far been systematically discussed. The present study is an attempt to fill this gap in Latin onomastic studies.

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