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By contrast, in imperial times the cognomen became the principal distinguishing element of the Roman name, and although praenomina never completely vanished, the essential elements of the Roman name from the second century onward were the nomen and cognomen. [2] Naming conventions for women also varied from the classical concept of the tria ...
This is a list of Roman nomina. The nomen identified all free Roman citizens as members of individual gentes, originally families sharing a single nomen and claiming descent from a common ancestor. Over centuries, a gens could expand from a single family to a large clan, potentially including hundreds or even thousands of members.
The distinguishing characteristic of a gens was the nomen gentilicium, or gentile name. Every member of a gens, whether by birth or adoption , bore this name. All nomina were based on other nouns, such as personal names , occupations, physical characteristics or behaviors, or locations.
Article titles for the biographies of ancient Romans often need to be disambiguated. The Romans used a limited number of names, and family names were carried on for generations (see Category:Prosopography of ancient Rome, and prosopographical lists such as Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi for a specific example).
Sons, by comparison, were distinguished by a praenomen, the first or personal name of a Roman male's typical three names (tria nomina). The eldest son was most often given the same praenomen as his father, with others given the name of a grandfather or uncle. [2]
The term "cognomen" (sometimes pluralized "cognomens") has come into use as an English noun used outside the context of Ancient Rome. According to the 2012 edition of the Random House Dictionary, cognomen can mean a "surname" or "any name, especially a nickname". [3] The basic sense in English is "how one is well known". For example Alfred the ...
Roman Empire; Roman naming conventions; Naming conventions for women in ancient Rome; Roman Republic; List of Roman imperial victory titles; List of Roman nomina; List of Roman praenomina; Roman tribe
The nomen gentilicium (or simply nomen) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's gens (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expanded its frontiers and non-Roman peoples were progressively granted ...