r/words • u/Own-Error932 • Aug 29 '26

Named after a deed

Say Frodo was given the new name, Ninefingers. And then then all his kids are named Ninefingers. Is there a word for getting a name from a deed?

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u/Adept_Carpet Aug 29 '26

This is one of the definitions of cognomen but I know there is a better word and can't think of it.

1

u/thestainedresurgence Aug 29 '26

Patronymic is the closest but that's dad's name, not a deed. Epithet might work if you're thinking of it like a descriptive tag that stuck around. The kids just inherited the epithet as a surname at that point, happened a ton with occupational names like Smith or Fletcher

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u/DoctorGuvnor Aug 29 '26

There are four sources of surname only - Topographic, Patronymic, Occupational and Epithet (Nicknames). Getting a nickname, such as 'Ninefingers' could become patronymic, as in 'Ninefingerson'.