Publius (praenomen)

Publius (Latin: [ˈpʊːbli.ʊs]), feminine Publia, is a Latin praenomen, or personal name. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and was very common at all periods of Roman history. It gave rise to the patronymic gens Publilia, and perhaps also gens Publicia. The name was regularly abbreviated P.[1][2][3]

Throughout Roman history, Publius was one of the most frequently-used praenomina,[4] typically occupying fourth or fifth place, behind Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus, and occurring with about the same frequency as Quintus.[5][6] The feminine form Publia was also quite common,[7] and is found in numerous inscriptions as late as the 3rd century, and perhaps beyond.[1][2][3]

Origin and meaning of the name

Publius is thought to derive from the same root as populus and publicus, meaning "the people" or "of the people".[8] Chase provides several examples of similar names from other Indo-European languages, like the Germanic Dietrich and Celtic Toutiorix.[8] Although Publius is generally regarded as a quintessentially Latin praenomen, a few scholars have proposed an Etruscan origin for the name. This may be partly based on the fact that the name, in the form Puplie, was also used by the Etruscans.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b Smith, William, ed. (1840–1849), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
  2. ^ a b Wissowa, Georg, ed. (1894–1978), Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft.
  3. ^ a b Kajava, Mika (1994), Roman Female Praenomina: Studies in the Nomenclature of Roman Women, Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae, vol. 14, Institutum Romanum Finlandiae, ISBN 9789519690216.
  4. ^ Chase 1897, p. 183.
  5. ^ Chase 1897, p. 135.
  6. ^ Kajava 1994, p. 217.
  7. ^ Chase 1897, p. 180.
  8. ^ a b Chase 1897, p. 157.
  9. ^ Epitome of Sextus Pompeius Festus's De verborum significatione by Paulus Diaconus
  10. ^ Chase, George Davis (1897), "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, 8: 103–184, doi:10.2307/310491, JSTOR 310491.
  11. ^ Huergon, Jacques (2002) [1964], Daily Life of the Etruscans, translated by James Kirkup, ISBN 9781842125922.
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