ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 910 http://www.s-gabriel.org/910 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* From: "S Friedemann" 24 Jun 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for suggestions on an ancient Roman woman's name. Here are some ideas we have found. "Ancient Roman" left us with a rather large time frame to work with, so we have tried to include information on names in republican, imperial, and post-imperial periods, so you can choose whichever you prefer. Roman names at the time of the republic had a three-part formation. The first part was the praenomen (literally "fore-name"), which corresponds well to the later notion of a given name, except that there was only a very small, fixed set of possible praenomina. As time went by, the set shrank even more and particular families might use only a few of those. This made the usefulness of the praenomen as a personal identifier extremely small. The second part of the three-part name is the nomen (name) which corresponds to our modern idea of a fixed, hereditary surname. This name identified not only which immediate family you belonged to, but identified your connections to a larger extended family. The third part of the name is the cognomen, which originated as a personal nickname of an individual. However, a sub-branch of a larger family might use a fixed nomen-cognomen combination as their hereditary surname. Additionally, an individual might have more than one cognomen serving different functions. A few special considerations apply to women's names. Originally, there seems to have been a parallel set of feminine praenomina, corresponding to the masculine ones and women would presumably bear one of these along with a feminine version of the nomen. However, by the later time of the republic and the early imperial period, women appear to have dropped the praenomen and used only the feminine version of the nomen, as well as an ad hoc cognomen, usually referring to birth-order in some fashion. However, under the classical naming system, women at this time did not have praenomina (although traces of feminine equivalents of some of the masculine ones can be found) and daughters were all named with the same feminine version of the family nomen. So all the girls born into a family named Julius were called "Julia." The birth-order names (and other names) were used more in the function of bynames, to distinguish one from another. So with two daughters, one might be and the other . And if another was born, the second two might end up and instead. By the imperial period, this system was being replaced by a freer choice of something more like true given names for girls. As you indicated that this was for a second persona, using in your name would be a fitting choice. We find it attested as both a nomen and cognomen [2], so you could use it as either. (or , , , , ) would be appropriate, as would or , etc. Here is a list of feminine nomina that we've found. [4] As the Romans were big on punning, we have included the corresponding meanings of the names. Aemilia (persuasive) Antonia (inestimable, beyond praise) Aurelia (golden) Caecilia (blind) Caelia (an engraving tool) Calpurnia Cassia (empty, hollow, vain) Cincia (curly hair) Claudia (to be lame) Cornelia (horny--as in bull's horns) Decia (tenth) Domitia (tamer, conqueror) Duilia Fabia (broad beans/bean farmer) Fabricia (artificer) Flaminia (priestess; a holder of a ceremonial office with religious overtones) Flavia (yellow) Fonteia (fountain/spring) Fulvia (tawny) Furia (furious) Hirtia (hairy) Horatia (keeper of hours, time keeper) Hortensia (encourager, inciter) Hostilia (hostile, unfriendly) Licinia Livia (envious, spiteful) Lucretia (gain, reward) Manilia (white) Manlia Maria Mucia Mummia Naevia (mole--not the animal, the thing on your skin) Octavia (eight) Plinia Pompeia Pompilia (pilot-fish) Pontia (sea, particularly the Black Sea) Porcia (pig) Servilia (slave) Tullia (third child) Varia (fickle) Vatinia Verginia Vitellia (yolk of an egg) In conclusion, or a name of this pattern would be a fine choice. We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by AElfwyn aet Gyrwum, Arval Benicoeur, Margaret Makafee, Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, and Teceangl Bach. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy Prytydes merch Catmael Caermyrdin June 24, 1998 -------------------------------------------------------- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Solin, Heikki & Olli Salomies, _Repertorium Nominum Gentilium et Cognominum Latinorum_ (Hildesheim: Olms-Weidmann, 1988). [3] "The Private Life of the Romans" by Harold Whetstone Johnston, Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1903. [4] D.P. Simpson, editor, _Cassell's Latin and English Dictionary_ (New York: Macmillan 1987), each name under individual alphabetical listing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction 23 Jan 2001: The bynames and are grammatically incorrect. These words take the same form for masculine and feminine, (or better ) and .