Sometimes, it seems like every Roman who ever lived was had "Gaius" somewhere in his full name. Indeed, I recently scrolled through a list of Roman Emperors and it took me well over a page at a resolution of 1600x1200 before I found one who wasn't a Gaius at some level.

However, today, I see no remanent of the name in modern Romance languages. I'd imagine that a name that was SO popular at one point shouldn't have completely disapeared.

What happened? Does the name or a name derived from it survive in any modern language? Did an ancient comic strip introduce a retarded character named Gaius in the same way The Simpsons is now driving "Ralph" to extinction? Did the rise of Christianity make it fall out of favor at the benefit of new "christian" names?

"Caio" is the portuguese name for "Gaius", and there are plenty of "Caios" around. So no, the name is not extinct.

Quite similar word in dutch:
gaius - gajes

It means: piece of scum (as referring to another person)
Nobody wants to kill their kid as such. ;)

Originally posted by luiz
"Caio" is the portuguese name for "Gaius", and there are plenty of "Caios" around. So no, the name is not extinct.

Interesting. Is there a similar name in any other languages?

I think there was one in English, with the female variant Gay, but after that took a different meaning people stopped calling their children that. I'm probably wrong though.

Originally posted by luiz
"Caio" is the portuguese name for "Gaius", and there are plenty of "Caios" around. So no, the name is not extinct.

Just posting to confirm what luiz says, although the name is more popular in Brazil than in Portugal.

I've searched behindthename.com for Spanish or French names descended from Gaius and was unsucessful.

Is the Portuguese version the lone survivor?

It would appear that way :).

Keep in mind that the Romans had only 5 or 6 first names in use in total, and that it was traditional for the firstborn son to get his father's praenomen. Seeing as Caesar's first name was Gaius, by rights all his descendants (including those by adoption, who would also adopt the names of their adoptive fathers) would carry that name too.

actualley, there was around two dozen prenomen in use by the ancient Romans :) -but dont let it fool you, there was a great deal of variety in Roman names, as people, or at least guys, were usually addressed, by there second, or third names, or perhps, as shown by Caesar, and the fact that it grew to bacome a title as well as a name, by there last (fourth) name

Fourth name ?? My Latin classes only taught nomen, praenomen and cognomen (as in Caesar).

Maybe there were two dozen praenomini in use, but only a few were really common.

I think he means cases as in Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, when a fourth name was added in celebration of a military victory for example.

Actually, the Africanus there is still a cognomen - Publius (praenomen) of the gens Cornelia (nomen), the initial cognomen to identify the family ( passed from father to son, like with the Caesars), the second one for the celebration (and non-hereditary). Caesar didn't have another cognomen apart from his hereditary one (Caesar meaning having a full head of hair), he was Gaius Iulius Caesar pure and simple.

your all wrong :yeah:

1)Prenomen
2)Nomen
3)Cognomen
4)AGNOMEN

Africanus, is such an Agnomen

the Agnomen itself is a second cognomen, and IIRC, although unusual, it was not terribly so, and a good deal of the more politicaly, or militarilly experienced, and honoured Romans may have had up to 6 "name parts" in total

Well, I learned something today then :).

However, 'Caesar' was still a cognomen then, not an 'agnomen'. Caesar wasn't exactly known for his full head of hair.......

which is almost surelly why he was called Caesar- Agnomen, and multiple cognomens were titles, or FAR more commonlly, popular nick names- Caesar just happend to have a funney little nick name by birth ;)

Cayo is the Spanish for Gaius, I think, but I've not meet people named Cayo in real life. However, there are some Cesars around... (Cesar is the Spanish for Caesar)