NAMES OF PERSONS
[108] A Roman had regularly three names:(1) the praenmen, or personal name; (2) the nmen, or name of the gns or house; (3) the cgnmen, or family name:
Thus in Mrcus Tullius Cicer we have
Mrcus, the praenmen, like our Christian or given name;
Tullius, the nmen, properly an adjective denoting of the Tullian gns (or house) whose original head was a real or supposed Tullus;
Cicer, the cgnmen, or family name, often in origin a nickname,in this case from cicer, a vetch, or small pea.
NOTE.When two persons of the same family are mentioned together, the cgnmen is usually put in the plural: as, Pblius et Servius Sullae.
[a]
A fourth or fifth name was sometimes given as a mark of honor or distinction, or to show adoption from another gns.
Thus the complete name of Scipio the Younger was Pblius Cornlius Scpi fricnus Aemilinus: fricnus, from his exploits in Africa; Aemilinus, as adopted from the milian gns.
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NOTE.The Romans of the classical period had no separate name for these additions, but later grammarians invented the word gnmen to express them.
[b]
Women had commonly in classical times no personal names, but were known only by the nmen of their gns.
Thus, the wife of Cicero was Terentia, and his daughter Tullia. A second daughter would have been called Tullia secunda or minor, a third daughter, Tullia tertia, and so on.
[c]
The commonest prnomens are thus abbreviated:
NOTE 1.In the abbreviations C. and Cn., the initial character has the value or G ( 1. a). [p. 46]
