How it works
These ancient Roman last names are the two family parts of a Roman name: 51 clan names (nomina) and 123 added names (cognomina), most with the Latin word behind them. Rufus is red or ruddy; Felix is lucky.
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Two parts of a Roman name
The dropdown, Part of the name, keeps the 51 clan names, such as Julius, Cornelius and Claudius, or the 123 added names, such as Rufus, Scipio and Maximus. A clan card names the gens, which is written in the feminine: Julius belongs to the gens Julia.
What the added names say
117 added names carry the Latin word they come from. Tacitus is silent, Geminus a twin, Merula a blackbird and Noctua an owl; Scipio is a staff and Maximus the greatest. A few, such as Caesar, have no settled meaning, and the card names the clan that used them.
Questions and answers
What were Roman last names?
A Roman's hereditary surname was the nomen, which named his clan, the gens, and passed unchanged from father to son. Many Romans added a further surname, the cognomen, which told the branches of a large clan apart.
What does a Roman cognomen mean?
Most began as nicknames drawn from a person's looks, qualities, trade or home. Rufus is red or ruddy, Celer is swift, Pictor is a painter and Corvinus has to do with the raven.
Did every Roman have a cognomen?
No. The cognomen was an extra name that many, not all, Romans added. Unlike the clan name it was not fixed: new cognomina were coined and came into fashion throughout Roman history.
Are these Roman last names real?
Yes. Each added name stands on Wikipedia's list of Roman cognomina and has a Latin dictionary entry; each clan name stands on its list of Roman gentes. Nothing is invented, and only the draw is random.