Roman Name Generator
Roman names in the proper order: praenomen, nomen gentilicium and cognomen, each built from genuine Latin elements with meanings.
1,216,800 combinations in this form
- Tiberius Claudius Modestatus
Tiberius of the tiber + claudius lame
of the tiber, lame
Modest restrained + atus bearer
the restrained bearer
- Vitellia Longina Placilis
Vitellia calf + longina tall
calf, tall
Plac calm + ilis able one
the calm able one
- Tertius Decius Longellus
Tertius third + decius tenth
third, tenth
Long tall + ellus tiny one
the tall tiny one
- Flavia Fusca Modestorius
Flavia blond + fusca dark
blond, dark
Modest restrained + orius maker
the restrained maker
- Septimus Petronius Barbensis
Septimus seventh + petronius of stone
seventh, of stone
Barb bearded + ensis native
the bearded native
- Flavia Justa Lentatus
Flavia blond + justa upright
blond, upright
Lent slow + atus bearer
the slow bearer
- Marcellus Quinctius Rufillus
Marcellus young marcus + quinctius fifth
young marcus, fifth
Ruf red + illus little one
the red little one
- Flavia Pulchra Modestus
Flavia blond + pulchra beautiful
blond, beautiful
Modest restrained + us one
the restrained one
- Salvius Opimius Severulus
Salvius safe + opimius rich
safe, rich
Sever stern + ulus small one
the stern small one
- Porcia Clemens Celsaticus
Porcia swineherd + clemens merciful
swineherd, merciful
Cels lofty + aticus stock
the lofty stock
- Manius Marcius Caticus
Manius born at morning + marcius warlike
born at morning, warlike
Cat shrewd + icus sort
the shrewd sort
- Valeria Magna Veratus
Valeria vigorous + magna great
vigorous, great
Ver true + atus bearer
the true bearer
- Tertius Varius Crassillus
Tertius third + varius mottled
third, mottled
Crass thick + illus little one
the thick little one
- Servilia Fusca Albiculus
Servilia keeping + fusca dark
keeping, dark
Alb white + iculus least one
the white least one
- Vopiscus Claudius Vitalaticus
Vopiscus surviving twin + claudius lame
surviving twin, lame
Vital lively + aticus stock
the lively stock
- Flavia Septima Nasilis
Flavia blond + septima seventh
blond, seventh
Nas nosed + ilis able one
the nosed able one
- Victor Fonteius Probosus
Victor conqueror + fonteius of the spring
conqueror, of the spring
Prob upright + osus full one
the upright full one
- Fabia Marcella Albensis
Fabia bean + marcella of mars
bean, of mars
Alb white + ensis native
the white native
- Faustus Nautius Priscaticus
Faustus fortunate + nautius sailor
fortunate, sailor
Prisc ancient + aticus stock
the ancient stock
- Domitia Quinta Gratellus
Domitia tamed + quinta fifth
tamed, fifth
Grat pleasing + ellus tiny one
the pleasing tiny one
- Septimus Ovidius Curticus
Septimus seventh + ovidius of sheep
seventh, of sheep
Curt short + icus sort
the short sort
- Vitellia Priscilla Auridus
Vitellia calf + priscilla old-fashioned
calf, old-fashioned
Aur gilded + idus kind
the gilded kind
- Verus Aelius Severorius
Verus truthful + aelius of the sun
truthful, of the sun
Sever stern + orius maker
the stern maker
- Aurelia Maxima Probinus
Aurelia golden + maxima greatest
golden, greatest
Prob upright + inus descendant
the upright descendant
How Roman names are built
¶A Roman citizen carried three names. First the praenomen, a personal name drawn from a stock of barely twenty: Marcus, Lucius, Gaius, Quintus, Sextus, abbreviated to M., L., C. in writing because everyone knew them. Then the nomen gentilicium, the clan name, ending in ius: Tullius, Aemilius, Cornelius. Last the cognomen, which began as a nickname for one branch. Marcus Tullius Cicero is Marcus, of the Tullii, the chickpea.
Cognomina are blunt. Cicero is a chickpea, Naso a nose, Rufus red, Crassus fat, Balbus a stammerer, Caecus blind, Brutus dull, Scaevola left-handed. They started as neighbourly abuse and hardened into the proudest part of the name, because the cognomen was what marked one branch of a vast gens off from every other. Later Romans added a fourth name, the agnomen, for an achievement: Scipio the conqueror of Africa became Scipio Africanus.
Women were named for the clan, not for themselves. A daughter of the Julii was Julia, a daughter of the Cornelii Cornelia, and she kept that name for life, marriage included. Sisters were told apart by Maior and Minor, elder and younger, or by number: Tertia, Quintilla. Endings agree with gender throughout, so a Severus fathers a Severa, and an adopted son took the adopting gens with anus added to his own old nomen.
Questions
What are the three parts of a Roman name?
Praenomen, nomen and cognomen. The praenomen is the personal name, chosen from a very short list. The nomen gentilicium names the gens, the wider clan, and always ends in ius. The cognomen names the branch within it and usually began as a nickname. Gaius Julius Caesar is Gaius, of the gens Julia, of the Caesar branch.
Did Roman women have first names?
Rarely. A woman was normally known by the feminine form of her father's nomen, so every daughter of the Julii was Julia. Where more precision was needed, families used Maior and Minor for two sisters, or numbered them Tertia, Quarta, Quintilla. From the late Republic women increasingly carried a cognomen too, such as Livia Drusilla.
What is a cognomen?
The third name, marking a branch of the gens. Most started as personal descriptions and stuck to the family: Rufus for red hair, Longus for height, Crassus for bulk, Cicero apparently from an ancestor with a chickpea-shaped wart. Because they were inherited, a Roman named Calvus, meaning bald, need not have been bald at all.
What are common Roman family names?
The great gentes are Aemilius, Claudius, Cornelius, Fabius, Julius, Junius, Valerius, Sempronius, Licinius and Aurelius. Many carry plain meanings: Fabius from the bean, Cornelius from the horn, Porcius from the pig, Caecilius from caecus meaning blind, Flavius from flavus, golden-haired. The ending ius is the mark of the gens itself.
How do I build a Roman name for a character?
Take one praenomen, one gens, one cognomen, and keep that order. Match the gender throughout: a man of the Aurelii with a stern nickname is Marcus Aurelius Severus, and his daughter is Aurelia Severa, since the cognomen ending shifts from us to a. Freedmen took the praenomen and nomen of the man who freed them, keeping their old name as cognomen.