Editor's Corner

Dear Editrix,

I have a question: I am curious as to whether there are people – real people – named after these ordered levels, especially, the Latin ones, like Sextus and Octavus?

Sincerely,

The Inquisitor

Dear Inquisitor,

I guess my joke about Optimus Prime in my article about Latin terms of order was inspiring, huh? Well, first a reminder of the list of words we’re talking about:

0. Primus – primary
1. Secundus – secondary
2. Tertius – tertiary
3. Quartus – quaternary
4. Quintus – quinary
5. Sextus – senary
6. Septimus – septenary
7. Octavus – octonary
8. Nonus – nonary
9. Decimus – denary

And, as a lover of Roman history, I couldn’t wait to look this up. I searched for the two you mentioned, and found an article in Wikipedia.

The quick answer to your question is yes, there were people with names like Sextus and Octavus in Roman history. These names are called praenomen. Wikipedia translates that as a “personal name,” “given name,” “forename,” or as I would say: first name.

These names were used by both the common folk and the aristocrats, though their use faded over time. The name Sextus was the masculine name; Sexta was the feminine version. As last names (or surnames) Sextus developed into Sextia and Sextilia.

As we discussed before, these were the names for positions, such as first, second, third, etc. For first names, they usually meant the birth order of the child, such as second son, or fifth daughter. Some people say that it was also used for the month in which the child was born. (Though with the old Roman calendar the sixth month was August.)

Here are the more common names mentioned in the article:

Masculine:

· Quintus

· Sextus

· Septimus

· Octavius

· Nonus

· Decimus

Feminine:

· Prima

· Secunda

· Tertia

· Quarta

· Sexta

· Septima

· Octavia

· Nona

· Decima

I’m not sure if there wasn’t a name for the boys from one to four–Primus, Secundus, Tertus (LOL), Quartus—or the fifth girl (Quinta?), or maybe the article didn’t have evidence for these. Perhaps the first four boys and fifth girl got names instead of numbers? In any case, I hope that answers your questions!

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | KE – Documentation

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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