praenomen
name
Quick Summary
The praenomen was the first of the usual three names of an ancient Roman. It served as a given name or forename. The choice of praenomen was limited to fewer than 20 names, such as Gaius, Marcus, and Titus. This was followed by the nomen, which was hereditary within a family group (gens), and later by a cognomen, which developed into a hereditary surname. For example, the full name of Julius Caesar was Gaius Julius Caesar, where Gaius was the praenomen, Julius was the nomen, and Caesar was the cognomen.12
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