Roman Names
A Roman citizen’s name was a small biography. A man like Gaius Julius Caesar carried a personal name (praenomen), a clan name (nomen) and often a family nickname (cognomen) that might poke fun at a big nose or a stammer. Women, meanwhile, usually took the feminine form of their father’s clan name, so every daughter of the Julii was a Julia.
This page walks through each part of the system with 80 authentic Roman names and their meanings, plus the emperors who made some of them famous. For baby-name ideas, see our Roman boy names and Roman girl names; for the language behind them, try Latin names.
Roman Names: browse all lists
Roman first names (praenomina)
Romans had surprisingly few personal names: about a dozen covered most men, and they were abbreviated in writing, just as we write “Wm.” for William.
| Praenomen | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Gaius | C. | Possibly “to rejoice” |
| Lucius | L. | Light; perhaps “born at dawn” |
| Marcus | M. | Of Mars, god of war |
| Publius | P. | Of the people |
| Quintus | Q. | Fifth |
| Titus | T. | Uncertain; possibly Sabine origin |
| Tiberius | Ti. | Of the Tiber River |
| Gnaeus | Cn. | Possibly “birthmark” |
| Sextus | Sex. | Sixth |
| Aulus | A. | Uncertain; possibly Etruscan |
| Decimus | D. | Tenth |
| Servius | Ser. | Possibly from servare, “to preserve” |
| Spurius | Sp. | Uncertain; later associated with illegitimacy |
| Manius | M’. | Possibly “born in the morning” |
| Appius | Ap. | Sabine origin; used by the Claudii |
| Numerius | N. | Possibly from Oscan; linked to numerus, “number” |
Roman clan names (nomina)
The nomen identified a man’s gens, or clan, and was passed down like a surname. Many survive today as first names, which is why our Latin boy names list is full of them.
| Nomen | Meaning | Famous member |
|---|---|---|
| Julius | Possibly “downy-bearded” or “devoted to Jupiter” | Gaius Julius Caesar |
| Cornelius | Possibly “horn” | Scipio Africanus |
| Claudius | Lame | Emperor Claudius |
| Valerius | To be strong | Publicola, early consul |
| Aemilius | Rival, eager | Aemilius Paullus |
| Fabius | Bean grower | Fabius Maximus “the Delayer” |
| Flavius | Golden, blond | Emperor Vespasian |
| Antonius | Uncertain; possibly Etruscan | Mark Antony |
| Octavius | Eighth | Augustus (born Gaius Octavius) |
| Aurelius | Golden | Marcus Aurelius |
| Junius | Of Juno, or “young” | Marcus Junius Brutus |
| Tullius | Uncertain; possibly “to lift up” | Marcus Tullius Cicero |
| Sempronius | Uncertain | The Gracchi brothers |
| Licinius | Possibly “upturned” | Marcus Licinius Crassus |
| Domitius | Tamed | Nero (born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus) |
Roman cognomina: nicknames that stuck
Cognomina often began as frank personal descriptions and then became hereditary branch names. Many are a gift for writers hunting historical names for characters.
| Cognomen | Meaning | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Caesar | Disputed; possibly “hairy” or from caedere, “to cut” | Julius Caesar |
| Cicero | Chickpea | The orator Cicero |
| Brutus | Dull, heavy | Lucius Junius Brutus |
| Naso | Big-nosed | The poet Ovid |
| Scipio | Staff, walking stick | Scipio Africanus |
| Cato | Shrewd, wise | Cato the Elder |
| Agrippa | Born feet first | Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa |
| Crassus | Fat, thick | The richest man in Rome |
| Rufus | Red-haired | Many senators |
| Maximus | Greatest | Fabius Maximus |
| Felix | Lucky | Sulla |
| Magnus | The Great | Pompey |
| Seneca | Old | The philosopher Seneca |
| Balbus | Stammerer | Lucius Cornelius Balbus |
| Strabo | Squint-eyed | Pompey’s father |
Ancient Roman women’s names
Women were normally known by the feminine form of their father’s nomen; sisters were told apart with Maior (elder), Minor (younger), or numbers like Tertia (third). See our Roman girl names for many more.
| Name | Meaning | Famous bearer |
|---|---|---|
| Julia | Of the Julii | Daughter of Augustus |
| Livia | Of the Livii; possibly “bluish” | Wife of Augustus |
| Cornelia | Of the Cornelii | Mother of the Gracchi |
| Octavia | Eighth; of the Octavii | Sister of Augustus |
| Claudia | Of the Claudii | Claudia Quinta, legendary matron |
| Aurelia | Golden | Mother of Julius Caesar |
| Valeria | Strong | Valeria Messalina |
| Agrippina | Feminine of Agrippa | Mother of Nero |
| Antonia | Of the Antonii | Mother of Emperor Claudius |
| Flavia | Golden, blond | Flavia Julia Helena (St. Helena) |
| Drusilla | Feminine diminutive of Drusus | Sister of Caligula |
| Lucretia | Of the Lucretii | Heroine of Rome’s founding legend |
Names of famous Roman emperors
Emperors piled up names and titles, so historians usually use a short form. Several still make striking mythology-style boy names.
| Emperor | Reigned | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Augustus | 27 BC – AD 14 | “Venerable”; Rome’s first emperor |
| Caligula | AD 37–41 | “Little boot,” a childhood nickname |
| Nero | AD 54–68 | Sabine for “strong, valiant” |
| Vespasian | AD 69–79 | Built the Colosseum |
| Domitian | AD 81–96 | Son of Vespasian |
| Trajan | AD 98–117 | Empire at its largest |
| Hadrian | AD 117–138 | Built Hadrian’s Wall in Britain |
| Antoninus Pius | AD 138–161 | “Pius” honored his devotion |
| Marcus Aurelius | AD 161–180 | Philosopher-emperor, wrote the Meditations |
| Commodus | AD 180–192 | “Convenient, agreeable” |
| Diocletian | AD 284–305 | Split the empire into East and West |
| Constantine | AD 306–337 | “Constant, steadfast”; first Christian emperor |
Roman names that still work today
Plenty of Roman names have survived into modern English, often in slightly softened forms. Many carry lovely meanings; compare them with our Italian names, their direct descendants.
| Name | Roman source | Why it works now |
|---|---|---|
| Julian | Julianus, “of Julius” | A US top-100 favorite |
| Adrian | Hadrianus, “from Hadria” | Classic and easy |
| Cassius | Cassius family; possibly “empty, vain” | Bold and cool |
| Atticus | “Man of Attica”; Cicero’s friend | Literary, thanks to To Kill a Mockingbird |
| Lucian | Lucianus, from Lucius, “light” | Elegant alternative to Luke |
| Octavian | Augustus’s adopted name | Strong with nickname Tavi |
| Silvia | Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus | Soft and pretty |
| Cassia | Feminine of Cassius; also a spice | Fresh and rare |
| Lavinia | Wife of Aeneas in Roman legend | Vintage and romantic |
| Marcella | Feminine of Marcellus, “little Mars” | Classic with nickname Marcy |
How to use Roman names today
- For a baby: nomina like Aurelius, Cassius and Julius make strong first names, while women’s names like Livia, Aurelia and Octavia feel elegant and current.
- For fiction: build an authentic citizen by combining a praenomen, a nomen and a cognomen, such as Lucius Valerius Rufus. Only freeborn men used all three.
- For a pet: emperor names like Nero, Hadrian or Caligula are fun for big personalities; see more in our badass dog names.
- Mind the spelling: Latin uses -us for men and -a for women. English often trims them (Hadrian, Octavian), while Italian turns them into -o and -a (Adriano, Ottavia).
- Check the meaning: some cognomina are unflattering, like Balbus (stammerer) or Crassus (fat), which can be funny for a character but less so for a child.
Frequently asked questions
How did Roman names work?
Freeborn Roman men had up to three names: a praenomen (personal name), a nomen (clan name) and a cognomen (family branch or nickname), as in Gaius Julius Caesar.
Did Roman women have first names?
Usually not in the way men did. A woman was normally called by the feminine form of her father’s nomen, like Julia or Cornelia, sometimes with Maior, Minor or a number to tell sisters apart.
What are some cool Roman names?
Cassius, Aurelius, Maximus, Atticus, Lucius, Octavian, Livia, Aurelia and Octavia are popular Roman names that still sound impressive today.
What does Caesar mean?
Its origin is disputed. Ancient writers suggested “hairy,” a word for elephant, or caedere, “to cut.” Later it became the title for emperors and inspired Kaiser and Tsar.
What were common Roman first names?
Gaius, Lucius, Marcus, Publius, Quintus, Titus and Gnaeus were among the most common praenomina, and a handful of them covered most Roman men.