A Note on Roman Names

The following information provides an explanation of some of the terms and conventions used in the catalogue entries below.

In the Imperial period, freeborn Romans commonly had three names (tria nomina), the praenomen, nomen and cognomen. The praenomen, was usually abbreviated on funerary inscriptions. For example, A. (Aulus); C. (Gaius); M. (Marcus); Q. (Quintus). The nomen gentilicium or family name designated a person’s gens (clan). In the Imperial period, women were often designated by the feminine form of their father’s nomen plus the feminine form of his cognomen, sometimes in the diminutive. From the Augustan period, the names of women from prominent families reflected important family connections. For example, Julia, daughter of Augustus, was married to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. Her two daughters would normally have been named Vipsania; instead one was called Julia and the other Agrippina.

Freedmen and women (ex-slaves) took their praenomen and nomen from their former masters, and usually added their own name as a cognomen. Cicero’s slave Tiro, once manumitted (freed) by Cicero, thus became Marcus Tullius Tiro. Slaves had only one name, either their original name (common for Greek slaves), or they were given a name indicative of their country of origin, character or appearance by their new master.

Freeborn Romans often listed their filiation on inscriptions to indicate that they were freeborn. The praenomen of their father was normally inserted between the nomen and cognomen. For example, L. MARIVS L. F. VITALIS, ‘Lucius Marius Vitalis, son of Lucius.’ Sometimes men and women who had been manumitted used pseudofiliation to designate their freed status. L. libertus/liberta, was put in place of F. for filius/filia, son/daughter. For example, FAVONIA M. L. BRUNDISINA ‘Favonia Brundisina, freedwoman of Marcus.