Questions tagged [names]

For questions about personal names (Ancient and Modern) in the Latin language.

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Both 'masculus' and 'vir' mean man/male: what's the difference?

In Latin, masculus means male. Noun masculus m (genitive masculī); second declension a male (of humans or other animals) In Latin, vir also means male. Noun vir m (genitive virī); second ...
user14417's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
106 views

An adjective for Seneca

A particular passage in Cicero's works is a locus Ciceronianus, a work written in the style of Vergil is an opus Vergilianum etc. But which adjective should I use for Seneca? There exists apparently ...
Sebastian Koppehel's user avatar
2 votes
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Welsh/British names containing the root ARTO

I am looking for historic Latin-British names similar to "Arthur", like Artomaglus ("bear prince"). This example seems to me to be a Medieval translation by Geoffrey Monmouth .
ephesinus's user avatar
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What is the verb in Πρωτεσίλαος?

Continuing in my chain of questions about Homeric names, I now understand that Πενθεσίλεια is a "terpsimbrotos" compound. This makes sense to me. However, Nagy mentions this name alongside ...
Draconis's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
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Is Ἀχιλλεύς actually from ἄχος and λαός?

As I mentioned in a previous question, I've been taught that ancient authors associated the name Ἀχιλλεύς (and its many variations) with ἄχος ("pain") and λαός ("people"). After ...
Draconis's user avatar
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How is the name "Penthesilea" formed?

The Homeric name Πενθεσίλεια seems to come from πένθος "grief" and λαός "people", presumably meaning something like "grieved by the people". This would be drawing a ...
Draconis's user avatar
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What part of the name should be used to refer to someone?

When we want to talk about someone without giving their full name, in contexts where in English we would use the family name, what part of the name should we use? I'm confused since adjectives are ...
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3 votes
1 answer
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How to latinise the French first name Giraud?

In a previous question Geraldus vs Giraudus I asked what would the Latin equivalent of Gerald. One on the answer suggested that it would be different (that is that Giraudus would be an option) if I ...
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4 votes
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Geraldus vs Giraudus

What would the Latin equivalent of Gerald (found also in French as Giraud, Géraud, etc.)? I found both Geraldus and Giraudus online.
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2 votes
0 answers
56 views

Latinizing the surname "De Vincenzo"

Hello how would someone Latinize this surname? De Vincenzo Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.
ant888nsmb2's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
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Why is ū long in "Vitruvius"?

Lewis & Short and Gaffiot's dictionaries both mark long ū in the name Vitrūvius. How do we know this, and do we know the reason for it? In my experience, most words with the sequence -uvi- + vowel ...
Asteroides's user avatar
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Which is correct? Eugenius or Eugenīus or both?

Checking the dictionary entries for Eugenius, I was surprised to find different vowel quantities depending on whether it was the adjective or the noun. As you can see from the screenshot above, ...
Canned Man's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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How to you convert a Latin word, such as voluntas, into a name, specifically a surname?

I've been wondering how to properly convert Latin words into names to signify the importance of certain concepts to a person, and met conflicting information online. My default assumption would be to ...
Thomas's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
856 views

Is "Io" accusative case in "Iuppiter, rex deorum, pulchram Io amabat"?

In The Adventures of Io, a story found in Thirty-eight Latin Stories, Designed to Accompany Wheelock's Latin, the first sentence of the story is as follows: Iuppiter, rēx deōrum, pulchram Iō amābat, ...
Adam's user avatar
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30 votes
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Why did so many Romans name their children after ordinal numbers?

Why were so many praenomina ordinal numbers or apparently derived from ordinal numbers? A few examples: Octavia Minor (Augustus Caesar's older sister) Octavia Major (Augustus Caesar's older half-...
Ben Kovitz's user avatar
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What is the the etymology and origin of the word/name Calvus?

Doing research (the question was also asked here as well) I came across the name having a French origin meaning "bald". However, I also came across that the name has a connection to the ...
יהודה's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
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Silly question. Need a translation for a character name. Are you familiar with "Firefly"?

I'm rolling a character-sheet and I'd like to call the fellow Browncoat, lIke the fans of Firefly. I think it would be Fulvus Tunicus for a reddish brown coat as a name but (for reasons too ...
I am Boaz's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
4k views

How do I say Disney World in Latin?

How do I say Disney World in Latin? I googled it but I’m still not sure. Disney Mundi? Disney Mundum?
suamae's user avatar
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1 answer
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Translating "Intrepid art" to classical latin

I need some help verifying that I have translated correctly, (english) -> (classical latin). I have translated "Intrepid art", as in art like drawings or paintings, to: "Artem ...
Theo.C's user avatar
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8 votes
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Does an irregular word decline regularly if it is used as a proper name?

Does an irregular word decline regularly if it is used as a proper name? For example, imagine there is a dog name Rex (=King). We might have: Vide Regem currentem. See Rex run. However, since Rex is ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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Is there such a colocation as "Dei Canet" and what does it mean?

The Russian author Alexander Grin has a short story called "Blind Dei Canet." Dei Canet is a character's name, and it sounds Latin to me. I would like to know what Dei Canet can possibly ...
mig81's user avatar
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10 votes
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Female Names and Heritable *Cognomina*

Suppose I want to speak of the daughter of a man with a heritable cognomen. Let us take Marcus Tullius Cicero as an example. If I want to clarify that the Tullia I am speaking of is his daughter (or ...
C Monsour's user avatar
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A personal name ending in -ua: is it male or female?

We have the name of a Romano-British Potter from the 2nd century A.D. whose name is SECVNDVA. Is this a male or a female name?
Peter Robinson's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
156 views

Did Romulus and Remus have other names?

Throughout Classical times, Romans would often have several names: one person might be identified by praenomen, nomen gentilicum, cognomen, agnomen, signum, and patronymic, all together. Were Roman ...
Draconis's user avatar
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Colonna as cognomen

I am working on the Italian Renaissance soldier Stefano Colonna. How would his name be written in Latin, as a label or signature, Stephanus? What is the proper genitive for "of the Colonna family"? ...
John's user avatar
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4 votes
4 answers
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What do you call a mind bender in Latin?

There is a video game character called mind bender. Among other things, he can make an enemy unit run over to your side, that is, turn a foe into friend. That's why he can bend their minds. What ...
Glory to Russia's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
156 views

Pronunciation of Jehovæ

The Tremellius and Junio's Bible in Is. 60:1-2 renders the Hebrew name of God (יהוה) as Jehovæ. how is this word properly pronounced in Latin? Thanks!
Oliver Amundsen's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
105 views

Gender and etymology of name "Herena"

I found that Herena is the name of a Christian saint from the 3rd century. Virtually nothing is known about Herena's life, but my question is about the name: Is it a feminine name or masculine, or ...
Sir Cornflakes's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
4k views

Latinisation of a surname. Seeking advice from expert Latinists

I have a need to Latinise a surname (details about that name are provided further down in my question) rather urgently, but with my miniscule knowledge of Latin I cannot do that myself well. I hope ...
Alex's user avatar
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2 answers
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How do you latinize the name "Cole"?

Salvete, I can't figure out how I would go about latinizing my name. I would also appreciate a declension of my latinized name. I was thinking that maybe "Colus," "Colis," or "Coleus" could work, ...
Cole's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
592 views

Which name came first, Lucius or Λουκᾶς?

The etymology of the name Luke is commonly said to be the Latin name Lucas, itself from Lucius, from the praenomen Lucius, from the root Lux (gen. Lucis). [A separate etymology says Λουκᾶς/Λουκανός, ...
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1 vote
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303 views

How to say "Indiana Jones" in Latin?

I know that usually we do not translate names, but how would you translate Indiana Jones into Latin? According to Wikipedia, Jones is literally John's son in Welsh, and it's related to Latin Ioannes ...
user3653's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
351 views

How were names ending in -ιον used in Greek?

In the plays of Plautus, there are some names ending in -um. They are generally formed as Greek names (whether genuine or pseudo-Greek), and the Latin ending -um here seems to correspond to the Greek ...
Asteroides's user avatar
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4 votes
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How often were names ending in -um used in real life?

There seem to be a number of examples of personal names ending in -um in the works of Plautus (apparently, they also show up in Terence1). In a discussion on Wiktionary, I found an interesting comment ...
Asteroides's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
713 views

Male personal names ending in -um

A number of personal names in the works of Plautus end in -um in the nominative singular, which struck me as odd when I first encountered them, since nominative singular -um is characteristically ...
Asteroides's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
2k views

What did the Greeks and Romans call their pets?

I know that some Greeks and Romans kept pet canēs, cattī, and even dracōnēs. My question now is: what did they name them? In other words, do we have attestations of how the ancients named their pets? ...
Draconis's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
986 views

Why is Descartes Latinised as Cartesius?

The famous French philosopher Rene Descartes is Latinised as Renatus Cartesius. Those unfamiliar with this, or with his thought in general, might then not realise that some words are derived from his ...
luchonacho's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
182 views

How are "Arsaces" and "Gotarzes" declined, and why?

Declinatione nominum latinorum a nominibus graecis quae -ης finiuntur perturbor. Dictionarium L&S exhibet "Arsăces, is m." a nomine graeco Ἀρσάκης. (E in syllaba ultima de "Arsăces" longum esse ...
Asteroides's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
545 views

Are there gender-neutral names in Latin?

Latin has some "epicene nouns", like canis "dog", which can be either masculine or feminine: a good dog could be either a canis bonus or a canis bona, depending on the dog in question. Are there any ...
Draconis's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
61 views

How were Greek patronymics stressed in Latin?

According to Wikipedia, the Scipios (as in Africanus) were known collectively as the Scīpiadae rather than the Scīpionēs. This was a rather poetic Greek way to say "sons of Scipio", as in the Atreïdae ...
Draconis's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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How do you pronounce "Aeclepiadae"?

Just as the title says. Or should it really be "Asclepiadae", since it comes from "Asclepius"?
Guesty McGuestface's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
338 views

Latin form of Igor

How would you translate the name Igor into Latin? The Latin Wikipedia uses Inguarus (e.g. Inguarus Stravinskij), which is the Latinised version of Ingvar.
user3322's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the Latin name for the Romani people?

The Romani (aka Gypsies, though some consider that a slur) are nomadic people who dispersed across Europe about a thousand years ago. In other languages they have exonyms like tzigane, gitan, and ...
Draconis's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Request to convert name into Latin

Kindly anyone change the name in Latin form please. Name: Hafiz Muhammad Umer Jahagir Please translate it into Latin.
Umar Khawaja's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
493 views

Names of main Tintin characters in Latin?

The website Tintinologist.org gives the following suggestions but it is not complete for the Latin language. What would be some good Latin names for the various Tintin characters ? Other characters ...
MOLAP's user avatar
  • 527
5 votes
2 answers
232 views

Someone of someplace

I'm wondering how someone would have said where they're from, sort of as a locational surname. To perhaps better explain, in English we might say, 'Hello, I'm Susan of London.' How would you say ...
Ali's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
147 views

"Alēctō" or "Allēctō"?

"Alēctō" is the name of one of the Furies, made surprisingly famous in the Harry Potter books. It seems to come straightforwardly from Greek ă- "not" + lēg- "stop" + -tos "[adjective]", so "...
Draconis's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
240 views

Hexametric Greek names

A number of Greek names encountered in hexameter follow the syllable length pattern -vv-; consider for example Penelope, Telemachos, Calliope, Terpsichore. The pattern -v-- is absent as the metric ...
Joonas Ilmavirta's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
154 views

Unde "Laelaps"?

Laelaps was a mythical hunting dog that could always catch its prey. The name comes from Greek λαῖλαψ, "hurricane". But where does this word come from? LSJ doesn't provide an etymology, and ...
Draconis's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
485 views

In what contexts, exactly, did Augustus use the name Octavianus?

Wikipedia says Caesar Augustus was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, making his nomen Octavius and that nomen would have held sway prior to his ascension to emperor. Screenwriters, though, seem always to ...
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