Explanation: Roman cognomen, the names by which we know many historical figures, are often nicknames referring to specific traits of an individual - and often, the individual in question is a distant ancestor. The most famous ‘Caesar’, for example, inherited the name from his ancestors… but the name means ‘hairy’, because one of his ancestors was presumably hairy.

Likewise, the famous orator Cicero’s name means ‘chickpea’, in reference to the shape of an ancestor’s nose. When urged by his friends to adopt a new cognomen - a not unusual occurrence - before entering politics, Cicero declined, saying he would make the name of ‘Cicero’ more famous than ‘Scaurus’ or ‘Catullus’, both revered names in Republican history… meaning ‘knobby ankles’ and ‘puppy’, respectively.

The Romans could be strange about their lasting cognomen - one of the most revered names of the Roman Republic, the name passed down from generation to generation, was ‘Brutus’, the name of the founder of the Republic…

… meaning ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’, because he pretended to be slow to avoid the attention of the last tyrant-king until the time came to overthrow him.