mononym

American  

[mon-uh-nim] / ˈmɒn ə nɪm /

noun

1. the name of a person who has or is known by only one name, usually a given name without a surname.

   Bajans know her as Robyn Fenty, but she is known in the rest of the world by her mononym, Rihanna.

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mononym British  

/ ˈmɒnəʊˌnɪm /

noun

1. a person who is famous enough to be known only by one name, usually the first name

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Other Word Forms

• mononymic adjective
• mononymous adjective

Etymology

Origin of mononym

First recorded in 1880–85 as a technical term in the biological and medical sciences; mono- ( def. ) + -onym ( def. )

Explanation

A mononym is a one-word name, like Madonna or Socrates. These days, most mononyms are adopted by people who were given at least two names when they were born. Early in his music career, Prince Rogers Nelson decided to change his name to a mononym, and he became famous as Prince. Other celebrities are widely known by a mononym, despite no official change to a single-word name; this is common for athletes, Bollywood stars, and artists. Egyptian pharaohs, Biblical figures, and ancient Greeks all had mononyms (think Tutankhamun, Eve, and Homer). The word mononym derives from Greek roots, monos, "single," and onoma, "name."

Example Sentences

Increasingly, he found the concept of a mononym enticing.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Cheryl, who now uses a mononym and was previously known with the surnames Tweedy, Cole and Fernandez-Versini, has said she still cannot quite believe the death of her bandmate.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2022

Just don’t go looking for Long’s name in the credits, where he’ll be billed by the mononym Vartan.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2021

Born Iman Abdulmajid, Iman was 36 and had long since achieved both fame and mononym status when she and Mr. Bowie, 45 at the time, were married.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2021

The film brings a more human understanding of a figure so noteworthy he has earned mononym status for the title.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2021