Personal Names

Praenomen

Knowledge of Roman names depends largely on inscriptions, where names are frequently mentioned. Inscriptions also play an important role in prosopography, the reconstruction of family trees, relationships, and administrative hierarchies. Names underwent changes throughout Roman history but started with simple forms, changed to multiple forms and then in the later empire reverted to simple or single names, especially under Christian and Jewish influence. As a rule, in the early rpeublic, every man had two names- praenomen and nomen. The praenomen was the name given to the oldest boy (or any girl) that was the same as his father. If your father's name was George, you would be named George (or Georgina). If your father's name was Quintus, you were named Quintus (or Quinta). The second oldest boy was given the praenomen of his mother's father or his father's father (which sometimes was the same- therefore a nickname was needed to separate the two). The nomen was the second name that represented the tribe you were from. If your father's name is George Jones, you were named George Jones if you were the oldest. If your the second than your name would be something like Steve Jones. Later three names (tria nomina) became common, in the order of praenomen, nomen, and cognomen. The lex Iulia municpalis stated that the names of Roman citizens should be registered in the following order: nomen, praenomen, name of the father (or the former master in the case of a freedman), tribe, cognomen. This is the order used in imperial inscriptions, except that the praenomen was placed first. A boy was given a praenomen name at birth and was known by it to his family and close friends. However, there were only about 15 praenomen in common usage among Roman families and only two or three of these might be used by a particular family. For example, most Julius boys were either Sextus or Gaius. Brothers were often given the same praenomen but would have a different cognomen. It was a given name used only my family or close friends. Strangers or acquaintances would have used the more formal last or middle name.

In the case of a woman, this name is a feminized form of their father's nomen (not praenomen. So Cornelia's father's nomen was Cornelius... the girl is taking a female version of the family's last name. One naming convention for female praenomen included the designation of birth order among the daughters of a family: Prima (first), Secunda (second), Tertia (third), et cetra. Female names were uniformly applied to all daughters in a family. Ordinal numbers or qualifiers like "maior" or "maior" distinguished between daughters. Also, a affectionate name might be picked up like "pulchra" or "pia" that fit the woman particularly well.

When manumitted by a citizen, the Libertus (freed slave) took the praenomen and the gentile name of the manumissor, and became in a sense a member of the Gens of his patron. To these two names he added some other name as a cognomen, either some name by which he was previously known, or some name assumed on the occasion: this we find the names L. Cornelius Chrysogonus, M. Tullius Tiro, P. Terentius Afer, and other like names. If he was manumitted by the state as a Servus publicus, he received the civitas and a praenomen and a gentile name, or he took that of the magistratus before whom he was manumitted. The slave also assumed the toga or dress of a Roman citizen, shaved his head and put on a pileus: this last circumstance explains the expression "servos ad pileum vocare" (Liv. xxiv.32), which means to invite the slaves to join in some civil disturbance by promising them liberty.

The praenomen (today's forename) was the personal name used at home, although its popularity had declined by the late 2nd century. There were only a few personal names, which in writing were often abbreviated.

A. Aulus (Possibly from Latin aula "palace".)

Ap(p). Appius

C. Gaius

Cn. Gnaeus

D. Decimus (Roman praenomen meaning "tenth" in Latin.)

L. Lucius (Roman praenomen which was derived from Latin lux "light")

M. Marcus (Roman praenomen which was probably derived from the name of the Roman god MARS)

M'. Manius

N. Numerius

P. Publius (meaning "public" in Latin)

Q. Quintus (meaning "fifth" in Latin. It was traditionally given to the fifth child)

Ser. Servius (meaning "to preserve" from Latin servo)

Sex. Sextus (meant "sixth" in Latin. It was traditionally given to the sixth child)

S. or Sp. Spurius (meant "of illegitimate birth" in Latin)

T. Titus (unknown meaning, possibly related to Latin titulus "title of honour")

Ti. or Tib. Tiberuis (meaning "of the Tiber" in Latin)

V. Vibius