LEGIO XX--The Twentieth Legion

ROMAN NAMES                      3/16/02

----------
*Home*Schedule*Handbook *Auxiliaries *Civilian Clothing *Cold-Weather Clothing *Signum*LINKS*SUPPLIERS*Bibliography *
*ADLOCVTIO*Tent and Camp *Roman Days*History*Names *Advice on Starting a Group *PHOTOGRAPHS*Bylaws *Membership*
----------

Click here for a pronunciation guide

       By the first century Roman men had 3 names, praenomen, nomen, and cognomen (e.g., Quintus Darius Macro).  Therefore, choosing a Roman name is a fairly simple matter of "One from Column A, one from Column B, and one from Column C."

       The praenomen was the personal name, and there were very few to choose from: Caius or Gaius (the most common), Cnaeus or Gnaeus, Titus, Tiberius, Quintus, Aulus, Decimus, Lucius, Marcus, Postumus, Publius, Quadratus, Sextus, Servius, Spurius, and maybe Primus and Tertius.   That's about it.  Nova Roma also lists Flavius and Cassius, but those are nomina and were certainly not praenomina until the 3rd or 4th century.

       The nomen is the name of the family or gens, and almost always ends in -ius.  Julius, Flavius, Claudius, Didius, etc.  Using a well-known nomen like Julius is fine because there were non-noble branches of famous families, and freed slaves took the names of their former owners.  (See list below.)

       The cognomen can indicate the branch of the family, or be another given name, or be a nickname like Celer or Felix, or the town or tribal name of a provincial.  The cognomen was not universal until about the first century BC, hence Gaius Marius.  (See list below.)

       Gaius Julius Caesar was the son of Gaius Julius Caesar, but his uncle was Sextus Julius Caesar.  Upon his death he adopted Gaius Octavius Thurinus, who took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus.  The emperor Vespasian was Titus Flavius Vespasianus and his brother was Titus Flavius Sabinus; his sons now known as Titus and Domitian were Titus Flavius Vespasianus and Titus Flavius Domitianus (named after his mother Domitia).  One of them was ruling when a young Thracian named Bassa joined a Roman auxiliary unit and took the name Titus Flavius Bassus.

       Girls were simply given their father's nomen, feminized, and sometimes a cognomen or a nickname such as a diminutive of her father's nomen or cognomen.  Therefore, all of Julius Caesar's daughters and sisters were named Julia, though may have been called Julilla, etc.  Apparently some girls were simply numbered: Prima, Secunda, Tertia, etc. (My wife is Hortensia Tertia because she likes gardening and has 2 older sisters.)  Women did not change their names when they married.  The Nova Roma list of women's names includes a number of feminized men's nomina.
       Just how formally the rules were followed in the lower classes is hard to say, but there are very few names known from inscriptions, etc., that don't make logical sense.  Actually, in the most formal usage, as on tombstones, a man's name had 6 parts: praenomen, nomen, filiation ("son of..."), cognomen, origo (place born), and voting tribe.  Not that that would help greatly--it could still all be identical to your father's name!

NOMINA (This is not a complete list):
Abudius
Adaucius
Aelius
Aemilius
Aeresius
Afranius
Albius
Ammonius
Antonius
Apuleius
Arrenius
Anicius
Antonius
Artorius
Audacilius
Aufidius
Aurelius
Babudius
Caecilius
Caelius
Caesennius
Caesidius
Calidius
Calpurnius
Cammidius
Cammius
Camurius
Carausius
Cassius
Celerinius
Censorius
Claudius
Clodius
Cornelius
Curtius
Decrius
Desticius
Didius
Domitius
Duccius
Ecimius
Eprius
Exomnius
Fabius
Fannius
Favonius
Flavius
Gargilius
Grattius
Helvidius
Helvius
Honorius
Hortensius
Hosidius
Ingenuius
Julius
Juventius
Larcius
Latinius
Liburnius
Licinius
Ligustinius
Livius
Lollius
Lousius
Lucretius
Maenius
Manlius
Mannius
Marius
Menius
Mercatius
Messorius
Minicius
Mommius
Mummius
Mucius
Munatius
Mussius
Mustius
Nectovelius
Nemonius
Neratius
Nestorius
Octavius
Olcinius
Oppius
Ostorius
Paternius
Peltrasius
Petillius
Petronius
Plautius
Platorius
Poenius
Pompeius
Pomponius
Pontius
Porcius
Postumius
Praesentius
Pupius
Quinctilius
Roscius
Rustius
Rutilius
Saturius
Sallustius
Saufeius
Scribonius
Sempronius
Septimius
Sertorius
Simplicius
Sittius
Socellius
Spurius
Statilius
Statorius
Suetonius
Sulpicius
Tabellius
Tadius
Terentius
Tertinius
Thoranius
Titius
Trebellius
Tuccius
Ulpius
Valerius
Varius
Velius
Veranius
Vesnius
Vettius
Vibius
Virius
Vitellius
Volteius
Volusius

COGNOMINA (Definitely not a complete list!):
Aelianus
Agricola
Agrippa
Albanus
Albinus
Aprilis
Arcanus
Avitus
Balbus
Bassus
Bellicianus
Betto
Caelianus
Capito
Castus
Cattianus
Celer
Cerialis
Civilis
Clemens
Coranus
Corvinus
Crescens
Crispus
Dexter
Dida
Disertus
Donatus
Drusus
Erasinus
Facilis
Faustus
Felicissimus
Felix
Festus
Fidus
Firmus
Flavinus
Fortunatus
Frontinus
Fronto
Fuscus
Gaianus
Galba
Gallienus
Gallus
Gemellus
Genialis
Geta
Gracchus
Homullus
Honoratus
Ingenuus
Justus
Libo
Longinus
Lucullus
Lupus
Macer
Macrinus
Macro
Magnus
Mansuetus
Marcellus
Maritimus
Martialis
Martius
Masala
Masavo
Maternus
Maurus
Maximus
Melito
Messalinus
Mettellus
Modianus
Montanus
Natalis
Nepos
Nerva
Noricus
Novanus
Paetus
Panthera
Paulinus
Pertinax
Petra
Picens
Pius
Probus
Proclus
Pudens
Pulcher
Quadratus
Quietus
Romanus
Rufinus
Rufus
Rusticus
Sabinus
Saenus
Saturninus
Savius
Scapula
Scipio
Secundus
Seianus
Senecio
Severus
Silanus
Silvanus
SolonSolus
Speratus
Strabo
Suavis
Super
Surinus
Thurinus
Valens
Venator
Verus
Viator
Victor
Vindex
Virilis
Vitalis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

WOMEN'S NAMES--Many of the following are from the index of Women's Life in Greece and Rome by Lefkowitz and Fant.  Some are recognizably Roman, some are Greek or from some other foreign culture (belonging to non-Romans or slaves), and some are mixtures.
 
Abudia Megiste
Allia Potestas
Antiochis
Antonia Thallusa
Appulia
Aristarete
Arria
Artemis
Athenodora
Atia
Aurelia Leite
Aurelia Philmatio
Bassilla
Caprasia
Cassia Secunda
Claudia
Clodia
Cornelia
Didymarion
Didyme
Dionysia
Domnina
Drusilla
Epicydilla
Epidia
Epria
Eucharis
Extricata
Fannia
Flavia Publia Nimachis
Flavia Sabina
Gaia Afrania
Gnome
Hedea
Helvia
Hilara
Hortensia
Irene
Isidora
Italia
Julia Domna
Julia Livilla
Julia Pye
Junia Theodora
Lalla
Larcia Horaea
Licinia
Magnilla
Melino
Melitine
Messalina
Minicia Marcella
Minucia Asste
Modia Quintia
Murdia
Musa
Mussia Dionysia
Nitocris
Olympias
Olympionica
Paezusa
Panthia
Parthenia
Perenice
Phamphile
Phyllis
Pobicia Aphe
Politta
Posilla Senenia
Primilla
Quarta Senenia
Recepta
Sallustia Athenais
Saufeia Thalea
Scholastica
Semiramis
Socratea
Statilla
Statillia Tyrannis
Sulpicia
Telephoris
Terentia Prima
Tertia Aemilia
Thuria
Timarete
Tryphosa
Urbana
Venuleia Sosis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 



PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

a = as in "ah"
ae = "eye"
c = always hard like K
g = always hard as in "girl"
i = short as in "pit", or long as in "pizza".  When used as a consonant, = Y
j = not used in proper Latin--represents consonantal i and pronounced as Y
u = as in "doom" when a vowel, or as W when consonant.  Properly written v.
v = u

Gaius = GUY-oos
Caesar = KAI-sar
provincia = pro-WINK-ee-ah
Vesuvius = wes-OO-wee-us
Adlocvtio = odd-low-COO-tee-oh
gladius = GLAH-dee-oos
pugio = POO-gee-oh (not POO-jee-oh!)
pilum = PEE-loom
caligae = CAH-lee-guy (not Caligula!)

Ave = AH-way--Means "Hail", Hello or Greetings
Salve = SAHL-way--also Greetings
Vale = WAH-lay--Farewell, goodbye
   --The plurals of these, used when addressing more than one person, are Avete, Salvete, and Valete.

----------
*Home*Schedule*Handbook *Auxiliaries *Civilian Clothing *Cold-Weather Clothing *Signum*LINKS*SUPPLIERS*Bibliography *
*ADLOCVTIO*Tent and Camp *Roman Days*History*Names *Advice on Starting a Group *PHOTOGRAPHS*Bylaws *Membership*
----------
*Home*Handbook Intro*Tunic*Caligae*Cloak*Belt*Helmets*Segmentata*Hamata*Squamata*Subarmalis*Scutum*Gladius*
*Pilum*Pugio*Packs*Mess Gear*Tools*Crests*Drill*Leatherworking*Armoring*