"John wanted to use his first name as a mononym, but he worried it wasn't exciting enough."
"The singer was trying to use a mononym, but 'Alice' wasn't unique enough to catch on."
Greek, late 19th century
"Mononym" combines the Greek "monos," meaning "alone," with the suffix "-onym," referring to a name. A mononym (one-word name) is often a first name, but celebrities are always stretching the limits. ...
