Mamercus () is a Latin ''

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bi ...

'', or

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...

, which was used in pre-Roman times and throughout the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, falling out of usage in imperial times. The feminine form is ''Mamerca''. The patronymic ''gens Mamercia'' was derived from this name, as were the ''

cognomina A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

'' ''Mamercus'' and ''Mamercinus''. The name was usually abbreviated Mam. The praenomen Mamercus is best known from ''gens Aemilia'', one of the greatest of the patrician houses at Rome, which claimed descent from Mamercus, said to have been a son of

Numa Pompilius Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus after a one-year interregnum. He was of Sabine origin, and many of Rome's most important religious and political institutions are a ...

, the second king of Rome. Several prominent members of this family bore the name during the Roman Republic. The Pinarii, another patrician family, is also said to have used the praenomen Mamercus, although no examples from this ''gens'' have been preserved. According to one tradition, the Pinarii were descended from another son of Numa Pompilius, although in his history of Rome,

Titus Livius Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

records that the ''gens'' was still more ancient, and predated the founding of the city. Both the Aemilii and the Pinarii used Mamercus and Mamercinus as cognomina. Other families which used these names as cognomina may have used the praenomen Mamercus at one time.

Origin and meaning of name

According to Festus, the praenomen Mamercus was derived from the name of the god ''Mamers'', who was worshipped throughout Italy in pre-Roman times, and was particularly associated with the Oscans. Since classical times, scholars have postulated that Mamers was the Oscan form of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, although the names ''Marcus'' and ''Mamercus'' frequently existed side-by-side. Whatever the case, Mamercus is generally believed to have been an Oscan praenomen that was brought to Rome during the reign of Numa Pompilius, if not earlier. Although Mamercus was never widely used at Rome, it came to be regarded as a Latin praenomen. It was always included in lists of personal names, and even received its own regular abbreviation. The Etruscan form of the name, borrowed from either Latin or Oscan, is ''Mamarce''.''Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamercus (Praenomen) Ancient Roman praenomina Theophoric names