[QUOTE=Marquis of Roland]Julius Caesar's name is Gaius Julius; Caesar is his title I believe.QUOTE]


Gaius = Praenomen : a given name and usually only used by those close or imtimate with the individual. The praenomen is often inherited for the first-born (thus Gaius Julius was the son of Gaus Julius)

Julius = Nomen : an inherited family name. The Julii were a patrician family who could trace their ancestry back to the very first kings of Rome from Alba Longa. They also reputedly descended from Romulus (and thus Mars) and Aeneas (and thus Aphrodite).

Caesar = Cognomen : the closest Roman equivalent to a nickname. In this case, Caesar literally means 'full head of hair' and was probably used to describe one of Caesar's hairier ancestors (seeing as he was almost bald). The cognomen was also inherited if the family was prestigious enough. Thus Caesar's father and grandfather were also called Gaius Julius Caesar.



Another example would be Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus.

Publius = Praenomen

Cornelius = Nomen : from the gens Cornelii

Scipio = Cognomen : meaning 'rod' or 'sceptre' and probably referring to a previous ancestor of the gens Cornelii who held an important office such as consul or even dictator.

Africanus = Honorific : granted to Scipio after his victory at Zama against Hannibal and recognising his part in defeating Carthage.