Aulus (praenomen)
Encyclopedia
Aulus (ˈaʊləs or ˈɔːləs) is a Latin praenomen
, or personal name
, which was common throughout Roman history from the earliest times to the end of the Western Empire
in the fifth century. The feminine form is Aula. An alternative pronunciation leads to the variant spellings Olus or Ollus and Olla. Aulus was widely used by both patrician and plebeian gentes. The name gave rise to the patronymic gens Aulia, and perhaps also to gens Avilia and the cognomen
Avitus. The name was usually abbreviated A., but occasionally Av. or Avl.
For most of Roman history, Aulus was one of the ten most common praenomina, being less common than Titus
, the sixth most common praenomen, and comparable in frequency to Gnaeus
, Spurius
, and Sextus
.
, aula or olla, a pot, presumably an affectionate reference to the size and shape of a healthy baby. Both of these are also probably examples of false etymology
.
One of the most common Etruscan praenomina was Aule or Aules (also spelled Avle, Aveles, etc.), the Etruscan cognate of Aulus. Deecke argued that the name was originally Etruscan, deriving it from avile, found in the plural form avils ("years") in numerous funerary inscriptions. The name would then have been brought to Rome during its period of Etruscan domination in the 6th century BC. The reason why avile should give rise to a personal name is unclear. Deecke also believed that the Latin praenomen Spurius was of Etruscan origin.
Chase felt that this explanation looked too far afield for the source of Roman names, and, supported by Zimmermann, proposed that Aulus was derived from avulus, "little grandfather," a diminutive of avus. This analogy was based on similar diminutives in other languages, some of them meaning "uncle" (from Latin avunculus).
Praenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
, or personal name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, which was common throughout Roman history from the earliest times to the end of the Western Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
in the fifth century. The feminine form is Aula. An alternative pronunciation leads to the variant spellings Olus or Ollus and Olla. Aulus was widely used by both patrician and plebeian gentes. The name gave rise to the patronymic gens Aulia, and perhaps also to gens Avilia and the cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
Avitus. The name was usually abbreviated A., but occasionally Av. or Avl.
For most of Roman history, Aulus was one of the ten most common praenomina, being less common than Titus
Titus (praenomen)
Titus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, and was one of the most common names throughout Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Titia. The feminine form is Tita or Titia...
, the sixth most common praenomen, and comparable in frequency to Gnaeus
Gnaeus (praenomen)
Gnaeus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was common throughout the period of the Roman Republic, and well into imperial times. The feminine form is Gnaea. The praenomen was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Naevia...
, Spurius
Spurius (praenomen)
Spurius is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was used primarily during the period of the Roman Republic, and which fell into disuse in imperial times. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gens Spurilia. The feminine form is Spuria...
, and Sextus
Sextus (praenomen)
Sextus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was common throughout all periods of Roman history. It was used by both patrician and plebeian families, and gave rise to the patronymic gentes Sextia and Sextilia. The feminine form is Sexta...
.
Origin and Meaning of the Name
The 4th century epitome De Praenominibus (Concerning Praenomina) by Julius Paris derives the name from the verb alo, to nourish. However, Chase argues that in no circumstances could the simple root of al- be transmuted into aul-. Another popular etymology derived the name from aula or olla, a palace, perhaps implying nobility, or from its homonymHomonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
, aula or olla, a pot, presumably an affectionate reference to the size and shape of a healthy baby. Both of these are also probably examples of false etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
.
One of the most common Etruscan praenomina was Aule or Aules (also spelled Avle, Aveles, etc.), the Etruscan cognate of Aulus. Deecke argued that the name was originally Etruscan, deriving it from avile, found in the plural form avils ("years") in numerous funerary inscriptions. The name would then have been brought to Rome during its period of Etruscan domination in the 6th century BC. The reason why avile should give rise to a personal name is unclear. Deecke also believed that the Latin praenomen Spurius was of Etruscan origin.
Chase felt that this explanation looked too far afield for the source of Roman names, and, supported by Zimmermann, proposed that Aulus was derived from avulus, "little grandfather," a diminutive of avus. This analogy was based on similar diminutives in other languages, some of them meaning "uncle" (from Latin avunculus).