mononyms
Names without surnames
Mononyms are names consisting of a single word, without a surname or additional identifier.
Some people are known by mononyms because they're so famous no further identification is needed: Plato, Madonna, Prince, Pelé.
Others adopt mononyms professionally or legally.
In cultures where single names are traditional, mononyms aren't remarkable—they become noteworthy mainly in contexts where two-part names are expected.
Seventeenth-century Dutch painter
- VermeerBaroque Dutch painter
- CaravaggioRenaissance-era Italian painter
- BanksyAnonymous political street artist
- ColetteWrote about Gigi
Moebius · pseudonym · signature · persona · mystique · recognition · identity · creative
Christ's mother, or pop icon
Cher · Beyoncé · Zendaya · Lizzo · Shakira · Björk · Morrissey · Liberace
Greek founder of formal logic
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- ConfuciusAncient Chinese ethical teacher
- CleopatraEgypt's last pharaoh
Michelangelo · Raphael · Caravaggio · Galileo · Voltaire · Napoleon · Charlemagne · Hildegard
Southeast Asian islander's identity
- JavaneseOf a major Indonesian island
- IcelandicOf a North Atlantic island
- BurmeseOf a Southeast Asian nation
- MongolianOf a landlocked Asian nation
patronymic · matronymic · naming · tradition · surname · identity · convention · heritage
Rembrandt
Seventeenth-century Dutch painter
- VermeerBaroque Dutch painter
- CaravaggioRenaissance-era Italian painter
- BanksyAnonymous political street artist
Colette · Moebius · pseudonym · signature · persona · mystique · recognition · identity · creative · distinctive
Madonna
Christ's mother, or pop icon
Cher · Beyoncé · Zendaya · Lizzo · Shakira · Usher · Björk · Morrissey · Liberace · Pelé
Aristotle
Greek founder of formal logic
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- ConfuciusAncient Chinese ethical teacher
Cleopatra · Michelangelo · Raphael · Caravaggio · Galileo · Voltaire · Napoleon · Charlemagne · Hildegard · Avicenna
Indonesian
Southeast Asian islander's identity
- JavaneseOf a major Indonesian island
- IcelandicOf a North Atlantic island
- BurmeseOf a Southeast Asian nation
Mongolian · patronymic · matronymic · naming · tradition · surname · identity · convention · heritage · lineage
Jesus
Christian faith's divine son
Muhammad · Zoroaster · Abraham · Isaiah · Ezekiel · Lao-Tzu · prophet · saint · apostle · patriarch