Mononym

Plato, Greek philosopher

A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person.

A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains common in modern societies such as in Afghanistan,[1] Bhutan, Indonesia (especially by the Javanese), Myanmar, Mongolia, Tibet,[2] and South India.

In other cases, a person may select a single name from their polynym or adopt a mononym as a chosen name, pen name, stage name, or regnal name. A popular nickname may effectively become a mononym, in some cases adopted legally. For some historical figures, a mononym is the only name that is still known today.

  1. ^ Goldstein, Joseph (2014-12-10). "For Afghans, Name and Birthdate Census Questions Are Not So Simple". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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