Names, Families, and Marriage
Names Roman names, in the city's earliest history, legally consisted of two parts, the given praenomen and family (gens) nomen. A third name, the cognomen, was sometimes used as a nickname, and varied greatly from person to person. By the time of Res Publica, the previous unofficial and variable cognomen was becoming a fixed part of the name, though it was still not legally recognized (by the late Republic, it would be). The cognomen, rather than being a personal nickname, identified branches of a certain gens. Agnomena, instead, were nicknames, generally reflective of some great deed or identifying feature (rarely, someone may have multiple agnomena).

Thus the order is praenomen nomen cognomen agnomena. This is called the tria nomina system (the first three names constitute the full legal name).

For example: Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. This name tells us he was named Publius at birth, was born into the Scipio branch of gens Cornelia, and did something important in Africa.

There was a very small number of widely-used praenomena (which were generally abbreviated, see Wikipedia), and some families used just two or three praenomena. To differentiate people with the same name, they were identified by their father and sometimes grandfather - who are listed after the nomen, but before the cognomen (a relic of the old two-name system).

Example: Publius Cornelius Publii filius Lucii nepos Scipio Africanus - Publius Cornelius, Publius' son, Lucius' grandson, Scipio Africanus

Because this is long, names were often abbreviated: P. Cornelius P. f. L. n. Scipio Africanus.

Women were simply given the feminine form of their father's nomen, so all daughters of gens Cornelia were simply called Cornelia. To differentiate, they could be called Maior (elder) or Minor (younger) or number (Prima, Seconda, etc.).



Roman families are generally headed by the eldest male, the pater familias, who has supreme religious and legal authority over his dependents and is the sole legal owner of all family property. He is expected to exemplify Roman values and run his family in accordance with tradition. According to ancient custom, the pater familias has the power of life and death over all members of his family, though this right is seldom used and generally frowned upon.


WIP