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Is Numidius an Ancient Roman name (probably a nomen gentilis) or is it spurious and caused by corruption of other names?

What I have found so far:

  • The name Ummidius (that is clearly and unmistakably attested) can be corrupted to Numidius
  • There also is a name Numisius that is easily mistyped (on a modern keyboard) as Numidius
  • There is a cognomen Numidicus (for victories against the Numidians).
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    Where have you seen Numidius? What makes you ask this? The question is interesting, I'd just like to know where it comes from.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Feb 5, 2017 at 20:40
  • @JoonasIlmavirta I found the name in my memory and put it into some search engines, giving results like a redirect to Ummidius on the English wikipedia.
    – Sir Cornflakes
    Feb 5, 2017 at 20:41
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    It sounds remotely familiar to me, too, but I can't remember where I would have seen it. Idle curiosity is always sufficient motivation for a question; I merely wondered if there was more behind this one.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Feb 5, 2017 at 21:56

2 Answers 2

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There are various epigraphical references of Numidius as a nomen:

CIL VIII 23074 (Ain Batria): Aurelius Numidius P[3]nsi[3]

CIL X 3824 (Capua): Cn(aeum) Numidium / Astragalum

CIL XIV 3627 (Tivoli): C(aius) Numidius Qua/dratus

ILCV 297 (Santa Maria Capua Vetere): Murrius / Numidius

PanDeser 64 (Berenice): C(aius) Numidius Eros

In CIL VIII 5301 (Calama) is used as a praenomen (Numidius Marius), while ILAlg I 2071 (Madauros) records it as a cognomen of Q(uintus) Domitius Numidius.

The most famous person to which has been attributed the cognomen Numidicus was Q. Metellus Numidicus (cfr. e.g. Cic. Brut. 135; Vell. 2,9,1; Val. Max. 3,8,4; Gell. 15,14,1), who fought against Jugurtha in Numidia from 109 a.C. (see also CIL VI 40942 [Rome] Q(uintus) Caec[ilius L(uci) f(ilius) Metellus] / [Numidicus]).

Other epigraphical references of that cognomen are:

CIL VIII 15667 (Kaussat): P(ublius) Larci/us Numidicus

CIL VIII 16104 (El Kef): T(itus) Largius / Numidicus

CIL VIII 25660 (Chemtou): L(ucius) Iulius / Numidicus

IScM V 00270 (Isaccea): Mar]cianu[s] / [3] Cassius Numidicus

RMD IV 223 (?): Ti(berius) Claudius Numidicus

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[Edited because I didn't read the full opening post at first.]

There were people named Numidius, but Numidicus as an agnomen (not cognomen) was attached to a very famous Roman politician, so I would bet that you were actually thinking of him.

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