Roman Names

The Roman names are particularized by the use of the sorted nominated (three names, Etruscan system of origin ), of use especially at the Patriciens then at the Plébéiens, as, under the Roman Republic, they acquire rights. The Roman Onomastique (science of family names) is based on several sources: the study of the tomb stones, sources literary, finally the whole of the epigraphy.

Principle of Sorted nominated

The complete name, for the men, is composed:

of the prænomen - our first name - which shortens in the texts if it is followed nomen (see the Roman Prénoms).
of the nomen (plural nominated ), which finishes in generally in - ius, which is the gentilice (family name) of the people (to pronounce people, social grouping of the size of a clan) - one could say the patronym.
of the Cognomen - we would say nickname - first of all personal, it ends up distinguishing a branch from the people. Cicéron is a nickname, cicero , which comes from cicer , “chick-pea” ( a family member had a wart of the size of a chick-pea ). The paternal branch of Néron was called Ahenobarbus , which means “(with) bores bronze” (i.e. russet-red). Certain citizens could change cognomen during their life.
normally, one indicates also the name of the paterfamilias , with the Génitif.

The history traditionally retained only the nomen and cognomen even only the cognomen of the Romans famous, except for the Gracques which one specifies the prænomen to identify that of the two brothers of which it is question. For Jules César, the complete name is: Caius Iulius Caesar . For Cicéron: Marcus Tullius Cicero . This use is not a fixed rule, and knows exceptions: Tite-Live was called Titus Livius ( praenomen and nomen ), the emperors Tibère, Claude and Néron was called all Tiberius Claudius Nero .

The cognomen

A victorious general received an additional name, drawn from the overcome tribe (Scipion the African, victorious of the Carthaginois, the emperor Claude the Gothic , victorious of Goths, Germanicus , victorious of German, etc).

The adoptees changed to them nomen and cognomen for those of adopting and associated a second cognomen in - anus pointing out to them people origin. The cognomina could be added unbounded with number. In the beginning, that we know as Auguste named Caius Octavius - francized in Octave - then, after its adoption by Jules César, it became Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus - it is sometimes called in French Octavien - and after its accession with the Principat, it took in third cognomen “ augustus ” is Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus Augustus .

According to this example, each emperor, at the time of his accession to the throne, added César or Auguste to his names. This use ended up transforming these names into titles, synonymous emperors.

Particular denominations

a slave, in-outside names of sound Ethnos group of origin, was indicated only by one first name, or the word servus . Often, fall it was marked even only “, to save the stone and the work of the engraver.
One freed is more often indicated by its first name of origin, and it always takes as nomen that of the Master who freed it. There are thus areas where a nomen is largely dominating, because of successive stampings from the patrician family there alive.
the women are only designated (on the tombs and in literary works and histories) by a feminized form of the nomen of the people: Claudius → Claudia, Cornelius → Cornelia, Tullius → Tullia, etc Each one was then distinguished from his/her sisters by a qualifier, for example: maior (the old one)/ minor (the young person).
the Pérégrin S, free men not citizens, are named by their name followed by their filiation.

See too

the Roman first names
Liste of the cognomina
Liste of nominated

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