praenomen
The praenomen (; plural: praenomina) was a first name chosen by the parents of a Ancient Rome, Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the ...
, or
personal name
A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
, which was common throughout all periods of Roman history. It was used by both patrician and
plebeian
In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary.
Etymology
The precise origins of the gro ...
families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes Quinctia and Quinctilia. The name was regularly abbreviated Q.''Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology''
Throughout Roman history, Quintus was one of the most common praenomina, generally occupying fourth or fifth place, behind ''
Lucius
Lucius is a masculine given name derived from Lucius (Latin ; ), abbreviated L., one of the small group of common Latin forenames () found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius probably derives from Latin word ( gen. ), meaning "light" (<'', ''
Gaius
Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen).
People
* Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD)
*Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist
* Gaius Acilius
* Gaius Antonius
* Gaius Antonius Hybrida
* Gaius Asinius Gal ...
'', and '' Marcus'', and occurring about as frequently as '' Publius''. Although many families did not use the name at all, it was particularly favored by others. The name continued to be used after the collapse of Roman civil institutions in the fifth and sixth centuries, and has survived to the present day.''Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft''
Origin and meaning
Quintus is the Latin word for "fifth", and it falls into a class of similar praenomina including the masculine names '' Sextus, Septimus, Octavius, Nonus'', and '' Decimus'', as well as the feminine names ''Prima, Secunda, Tertia, Quarta, Sexta, Septima, Octavia, Nona'', and ''Decima''. It is generally believed that the name was originally given to a fifth child, a fifth son, or a fifth daughter. However, it has also been argued that Quintus and the other praenomina of this type could refer to the month of the year in which a child was born. It may be that such names were given for both reasons.George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'', vol. VIII (1897)''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', 3rd Ed. (1996)
Whatever the original reason that the name was given, parents were free to use it for any reason of their choosing. The primary consideration seems to have been the desire to pass on family names. Thus, the first son in a family was almost as likely as the fifth to be named Quintus.
The
Oscan
Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene.
Oscan was spoken by a number of t ...
cognate of Quintus was ''Pompo'', a name best known from the father of
Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the Roman mythology, legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus after a one-year interregnum. He was of Sabine origin, and many of Rome's most important religious and political ins ...
, the second king of Rome. The gentes Pompilia and
Pomponia
Pomponia is the female name for the Pomponia gens of Ancient Rome. This family was one of the oldest families in Rome. Various women bearing this name lived during the Middle and Late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The oldest known Pomponia ...
(both of which claimed descent from Numa Pompilius) were derived from this praenomen. The nomen
Pompeius
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...
may also be a patronymic based on the name Pompo.
See also
*
Roman naming conventions
Over the course of some fourteen centuries, the Ancient Rome, Romans and other peoples of Italy employed a system of nomenclature that differed from that used by other cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of a combination of g ...