Roman Names
Three names for a man, one for a woman.
How It Works
| First name | Family name | Nickname |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus | Tullius | Cicero |
| Gaius | Iulius | Caesar |
The most common first names were few: Marcus, Gaius, Lucius, Quintus, Titus and Sextus. Families gave the same first name over and over, so the family name told people who you were.
Cicero sounds like KIK-eh-ro in classical Latin and CHEE-cheh-ro in Church Latin. Caesar is KYE-sar in classical Latin and CHEH-sar in Church Latin. Gaius is GAH-ee-oos in classical Latin.
A woman had no personal name of her own. Two daughters of one family could both be called Iulia, and the family told them apart as Iulia the elder and Iulia the younger.
Examples (5)
- Marcus Tullius Cicero.
Marcus Tullius Cicero.
First name Marcus, family name Tullius, nickname Cicero.
- Gaius Iulius Caesar.
Gaius Julius Caesar.
First name Gaius, family name Iulius, nickname Caesar. Latin writes the first I of Iulius, never a j.
- Iulia est puella.
Iulia is a girl.
Iulia is the feminine of Iulius and the subject.
- Cornelia et Iulia sunt puellae.
Cornelia and Iulia are girls.
Two subjects joined by et take sunt, the plural verb.
- Marcus et Gaius sunt amici.
Marcus and Gaius are friends.
Two first names in the nominative, with sunt for the plural.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A Roman name is a set of nominative names, so the nominative comes first.
Related Patterns
Practice Roman Names in Bubblegum
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