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How were Roman family names formed historically?

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In the Roman republic three names were used, the forename ( praenomen ), of which there were fewer than 20; the gens or tribe name ( nomen ); and finally the family name ( cognomen ); e.g., Caius Julius Caesar, or Caius of the Caesar family of the Julian gens. An additional name ( agnomen ) might be added as a nickname or honor, e.g., Africanus, for victory in Africa, in the case of Scipio. Amharic names are concatenations of the child's given name and the father's given name. Native American names often referred to elements in nature or attributed special traits to the person.

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