A Roman citizen had three names, and his first name was not the one you might think: Julius Caesar's first name was Caius, while Julius came from his family name. Many of our "Roman" first names are in fact former family names or nicknames. Girls, for their part, bore the family name in its feminine form: Julia, Claudia.
Here is how a Roman was named, the real first names of Rome and what became of them, the family names and nicknames that turned into first names, the girls' names, and then Romain himself.
Three Names for a Roman
A Roman citizen bore the tria nomina, the three names. The praenomen was the first name, given on the ninth day after birth for a boy and the eighth for a girl. The nomen designated the gens, the large family. The cognomen, at first a simple nickname, eventually came to be passed down from father to son.
Caesar is the perfect example: Caius Julius Caesar. Caius is his first name, Julius his family name, Caesar his nickname. The most prestigious even received a fourth name, the agnomen, in memory of a victory, like Scipio Africanus.
In this video, the linguist from Linguisticae explains why "Julius" was not Caesar's first name, and how this naming system disappeared with the end of the Empire.
The Real Roman First Names, and What Became of Them
The Romans had very few first names: about forty in the early days of the Republic, of which only half were in common use, and eighteen in the 1st century BCE. Some simply indicated birth order. Here are the ones that are still alive today:
| Roman first name | Meaning or note | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus | Very common in Rome | Marc, Marcus |
| Lucius | Linked to lux, light | Lucius, and Lucien by derivation |
| Quintus | "The fifth" | Quentin |
| Sextus | "The sixth" | Sixte |
| Decimus | "The tenth" | Rare |
| Titus | First name of the emperor Titus | Titus |
| Tiberius | First name of the emperor Tiberius | Tibère |
| Gaius | Abbreviated C., Caesar's first name | Caius |
| Publius | The first name of Scipio Africanus | Rare |
Quentin, very popular in France, is therefore an authentic praenomen: it originally said that the child was the fifth.
Roman Family Names That Became First Names
Most of the "Roman" first names given today were nomina, family names. These are the ones that have best survived the centuries:
- Jules, from the gens Julia, Caesar's family;
- Antoine, from Antonius, the family of Mark Antony;
- Émile, from Aemilius;
- Claude, from Claudius, the emperor's family;
- Marius, the name of the general who was Sulla's rival;
- Octave, from Octavius, the birth name of the emperor Augustus;
- Horace, from Horatius, the poet's name;
- Virgile, from Vergilius, the name of the author of the Aeneid;
- Valère, from Valerius;
- Aurèle, from Aurelius, the name of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Roman Nicknames That Became First Names
The cognomina often described a quality or an origin, and their meaning can still be read in Latin. Our favorite, Félix, means "happy": it's hard to wish a child anything better.
- César, from Caesar, which became the title of the emperors;
- Maxime, from Maximus, "the greatest";
- Paul, from Paulus, "small";
- Félix, "happy";
- Auguste, from Augustus, "venerable," the title of the first emperor;
- Valentin, from Valentinus, linked to valere, to be strong;
- Victor, "the victor";
- Constantin, from Constantinus, the emperor who founded Constantinople;
- Hadrien, from Hadrianus, the emperor of the wall.
As with Greek names, the meaning is often transparent to anyone who has studied a little Latin.
Girls' Names: The Family Name in the Feminine
In Rome, a girl did not really receive a personal first name: she bore the feminine form of her family's name. The daughter of a Julius was called Julia, the daughter of a Claudius, Claudia. These names make a lovely list today:
| In Rome | Today |
|---|---|
| Julia | Julia, Julie |
| Claudia | Claudia, Claude |
| Livia | Livia, Livie |
| Aurelia | Aurélia, Aurélie |
| Octavia | Octavie |
| Cornelia | Cornélia, Cornélie |
| Valeria | Valéria, Valérie |
| Aemilia | Émilie |
| Flavia | Flavia, Flavie |
| Antonia | Antonia, Antonine |
| Camilla | Camille |
Two sisters therefore bore the same name. To tell them apart, Maior was added for the elder, Minor for the younger, then Tertia for the third. That is why Tertia is so rare today.
And Romain, in All This?
Romain comes from the Latin Romanus, "citizen of Rome." It was not a praenomen, but a nickname borne by several saints, including the one celebrated on February 28. Very popular in France in the late 1980s, it has a more recent feminine version, Romane.
If you are looking for a meaningful name that has also endured through the centuries, our biblical names follow a different history, that of Hebrew and Greek.
Choose a Roman Name That Is Still Used Today
Would you rather have a true first name, a family name or a nickname? Make your list from the three pools on this page: a true first name (Quentin, Marc), a family name (Jules, Émile) or a nickname (Félix, Maxime). Say them aloud with your last name, and keep the one whose Latin meaning speaks to you.
Sources
- Wikipédia, article "Prénom romain", accessed in November 2026
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