Epithet and Surname

Epithet

Epithet noun - A descriptive or familiar name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to an individual.

Usage example: King Richard I of England was given the very laudatory epithet “the Lion-Hearted”

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Surname and epithet are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Surname" instead a noun "Epithet".

Surname noun - A name shared by members of a family.

Usage example: judging from your surname, I'd guess that your family is Italian

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Epithet and surname are semantically related. You can use "Epithet" instead a noun "Surname".

human	human epithet	human surname
common	common epithet	common surname
established	established epithet	established surname
popular	popular epithet	popular surname
Other adjectives: actual, unfortunate, personal, traditional, different, western.

It's a staple of Medieval Fantasy that whenever a hero does something noteworthy, they get a "surname" (more properly termed an epithet or byname) out of it, like say Sir Tropesalot, Dragon Slayer.

Source: The Magnificent
Trigun: Vash The Stampede is only really named 'Vash,' although he seems to have accepted 'The Stampede' as a legitimate surname since it became his most common epithet.

Source: I Have Many Names
The surname was an epithet earned because he, well, used a warhammer a lot.

Source: Luke Nounverber

Cite this Source

Surname and Epithet. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/epithet/surname

Epithet & Surname. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/epithet/surname>.

Surname or Epithet. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/epithet/surname.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "epithet" and "surname" have occurred on timeline