Agrippa is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was most common during the early centuries of the Roman Republic. It was sometimes abbreviated Agr., or occasionally Agripp.; both forms are found in the Fasti Capitolini.[1] Despite ending in -a, it is a masculine name. The feminine form was probably Agrippina, which is also found as a cognomen, or surname, but no examples of its use as a praenomen have survived.
The praenomen Agrippa was regularly used by two patriciangentes, gens Furia and gens Menenia, who held several consulships during the early Republic. It was also the name of one of the legendary kings of Alba Longa, Agrippa Silvius, whose descendants came to Rome following the destruction of that city during the reign of Tullus Hostilius.[2][3] Although the name is not known to have been used as a praenomen in the later Republic and Empire, it appeared as a cognomen in several families.
Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro listed Agrippa as one of several archaic praenomina that had passed out of use by the 1st century BC. At least according to legend, it was used in pre-Roman times, and it appears as a praenomen in the earliest years of the Republic. The meaning of the name is unknown. Gaius Plinius Secundus speculated that it was originally used for a child who was born feet-first (a breech birth). However, this is probably a false etymology.[4][5][6]
In The Origin of Roman Praenomina, George Davis Chase, following August Fick's work on Greek personal names, speculated that the name was derived from Greek, and that it entered Latin via contact with Magna Graecia. However, Chase notes that the name does not appear in Greek sources, and concludes that the Italians must have changed the stem to conform to the pattern of Italic names.[7][8]
Later use as cognomenedit
As a cognomen it was used by several gentes including the Asinii, Fonteii, Haterii, Julii, and Vipsanii. Each of these families may once have used Agrippa as a praenomen. As a cognomen, the name survived into Imperial times. With the gradual abandonment of the Roman nomenclature system, Agrippa once again became a personal name, surviving into modern times.[9][10]
^George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII (1897)
^George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII (1897)
^August Fick, Die Griechischen Personennamen nach ihrer Bildung erklärt und systematisch geordnet (1874)
^Dictionary of Greek & Roman Biography & Mythology
^George Davis Chase, "The Origin of Roman Praenomina", in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. VIII (1897)
January 01, 1970
agrippa, praenomen, this, article, about, latin, praenomen, other, uses, agrippa, disambiguation, agrippa, latin, praenomen, personal, name, which, most, common, during, early, centuries, roman, republic, sometimes, abbreviated, occasionally, agripp, both, for. This article is about the Latin praenomen For other uses see Agrippa disambiguation Agrippa is a Latin praenomen or personal name which was most common during the early centuries of the Roman Republic It was sometimes abbreviated Agr or occasionally Agripp both forms are found in the Fasti Capitolini 1 Despite ending in a it is a masculine name The feminine form was probably Agrippina which is also found as a cognomen or surname but no examples of its use as a praenomen have survived The praenomen Agrippa was regularly used by two patrician gentes gens Furia and gens Menenia who held several consulships during the early Republic It was also the name of one of the legendary kings of Alba Longa Agrippa Silvius whose descendants came to Rome following the destruction of that city during the reign of Tullus Hostilius 2 3 Although the name is not known to have been used as a praenomen in the later Republic and Empire it appeared as a cognomen in several families Contents 1 Etymology 2 Later use as cognomen 3 See also 4 ReferencesEtymology editRoman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro listed Agrippa as one of several archaic praenomina that had passed out of use by the 1st century BC At least according to legend it was used in pre Roman times and it appears as a praenomen in the earliest years of the Republic The meaning of the name is unknown Gaius Plinius Secundus speculated that it was originally used for a child who was born feet first a breech birth However this is probably a false etymology 4 5 6 In The Origin of Roman Praenomina George Davis Chase following August Fick s work on Greek personal names speculated that the name was derived from Greek and that it entered Latin via contact with Magna Graecia However Chase notes that the name does not appear in Greek sources and concludes that the Italians must have changed the stem to conform to the pattern of Italic names 7 8 Later use as cognomen editAs a cognomen it was used by several gentes including the Asinii Fonteii Haterii Julii and Vipsanii Each of these families may once have used Agrippa as a praenomen As a cognomen the name survived into Imperial times With the gradual abandonment of the Roman nomenclature system Agrippa once again became a personal name surviving into modern times 9 10 See also editList of Roman nomina List of Roman gentesReferences edit Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum i Marcus Terentius Varro quoted in De Praenominibus epitome by Julius Paris Titus Livius Ab Urbe Condita books I V Marcus Terentius Varro quoted in De Praenominibus epitome by Julius Paris Titus Livius Ab Urbe Condita books I V George Davis Chase The Origin of Roman Praenomina in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology vol VIII 1897 George Davis Chase The Origin of Roman Praenomina in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology vol VIII 1897 August Fick Die Griechischen Personennamen nach ihrer Bildung erklart und systematisch geordnet 1874 Dictionary of Greek amp Roman Biography amp Mythology George Davis Chase The Origin of Roman Praenomina in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology vol VIII 1897 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Agrippa praenomen amp oldid 1183696552 Later use as cognomen, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
