RESTORING FAMILY REQUIRES RESTORING CLAN Tria nomina Typical Roman names of the

RESTORING FAMILY REQUIRES RESTORING CLAN

Tria nomina

Typical Roman names of the late Republic had three parts (the “tria nomina”). Example: Gaius Iulius Caesar where:

– Gaius is a praenomen (“given name”, plural praenomina),

– Julius is a nomen (“gens or clan name”, plural nomina), and

– Caesar is a cognomen (“family name within a gens”, plural cognomina).

Some names had no cognomen, but in other cases a second cognomen, (called an agnomen), was added. Female names could follow similar conventions, with a few differences. Additional elements such as tribal affiliation and “filiation” (parentage), were also sometimes used.