common names
Widely used names
Common names are the ordinary, everyday names for things—especially plants, animals, and other organisms—as opposed to their scientific or technical names.
A robin, a dandelion, and a black bear all have common names; their Latin binomials are another matter.
Common names vary by region and language, which is why scientists prefer standardized nomenclature: what Americans call a moose, Europeans call an elk.
The phrase also refers to frequently occurring personal names: John, Mary, and Muhammad are common names worldwide.
- bynameSecondary name or epithet
- nicknameInformal substitute name
- nomenclatureSystem of specialized terms
- aliasAdopted false name
- monikerInformal designation for someone
diminutives · sobriquet · usual · appellation · regular · mundane · widespread · plain · universal · generic · surnames · average · ordinary · shared · typical · vernacular · everyday · standard
- namessurnames, first name, last name, given name, nicknames
- chemical nameschemical name, preferred name, traditional name, generic name, official name
- folk taxonomylife forms, ethnobotany, traditional knowledge
- nomenclaturetaxonomy, taxa, genus, species, anatomical terms
- natural historynatural history, natural history museum, naturalist, naturalists, natural philosophers
- zoologymammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects
common, community, communicate, communication, commonly, uncommon, names, commonplace, communist