History Facts - Just like most Americans have a first, middle, and last name, many
ancient Romans also used three names, especially upper-class men. (Women
typically had two names, and enslaved people were called by just one.)
But these ancient monikers weren’t a direct parallel to how we use
middle names today. Roman full names started with a praenomen, or personal name, which often came from numbers or months, possibly noting the time or order of birth (such as “Quintus” or “Sextus”). The middle name, nomen gentilicium, came from a person’s gens, a broad family clan based on a patriarchal line. Names then ended with a cognomen,
which could reflect a smaller family group or reference a specific
attribute, such as a big head, pug nose, or left-handedness. These
nicknames were passed down to children, and throughout a person’s life,
they could have more than one cognomen.
Online report of the Progressive Review. Since 1964, the news while there's still time to do something about it.
August 29, 2024
History
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