Horatio is an English male given name, an Italianized form of the ancient Roman

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

'' nomen'' (name) ''

Horatius Horatius may refer to: People Roman era * several ancient Roman men of the '' gens Horatia'', including: ** Quintus Horatius Flaccus, the poet known in English as Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Sueto ...

'', from the Roman ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

'' (clan) '' Horatia''. The modern Italian form is '' Orazio'', the modern Spanish form '' Horacio''. It appears to have been first used in England in 1565, in the Tudor era during which the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

movement had started to influence English culture. The name

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

is another related name from the same Latin source.

History

Prominent English-language examples of the name "Horatio" include: Horatio de Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565–1635), an English military leader, was one of the earliest English holders of the name, born 34 years before

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

invented the character Horatio in his 1599/1601 play ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''. He was a grandfather of Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend (1630–1687), whose son Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (a ward of Col.

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...

(1650–1700) of Houghton Hall in Norfolk) married Dorothy Walpole, one of the latter's daughters and a sister of Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole (1678–1757) (and of Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676–1745), the Prime Minister). The name Horatio was subsequently much used by the Walpole family and by the 1st Baron Walpole's illustrious younger cousin Admiral

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

(1758–1805), his father's great-great grandson, born one year after 1st Baron Walpole's death. The 1st Baron Walpole's son, Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, 2nd Baron Walpole (1723–1809) served as a godfather at the christening of Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1758, who for that reason, as was common, was given his name.Pettigrew, Thomas, ''Memoirs of the Life of Vice-Admiral, Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B., Duke of Bronté'', London, 1849, p.1 The Admiral died without issue, but his great-nephew Horatio Nelson, 3rd Earl Nelson (1823–1913) (born with the surname "Bolton", eventual heir and great-nephew of the Admiral's elder brother William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, heir of the Admiral) carried on the name.

People

* Horatio Alger Jr. (1832–1899), American author * Horatio Allen (1802–1889), American civil engineer and inventor * Horatio Saint George Anson (1903–1925), British electrical engineer * Horatio Thomas Austin (1801–1865), British Royal Navy officer and arctic explorer * Horatio Barber (1875–1964), British aviation pioneer * Horatio Beck (1810–1872), American politician * Horatio L. Birdsall (1833–1891), American Civil War soldier awarded the Medal of Honor * Horatio Bottomley (1860–1932), English swindler, publisher and politician * Horatio Bridge (1806–1893), American naval commodore *

Horatio Brown Horatio Robert Forbes Brown (16 February 1854 – 19 August 1926) was a Scottish historian who specialized in the Venice#History, history of Venice and history of Italy, Italy. Born in Nice, he grew up in Midlothian, Scotland, was educated in E ...

(1854–1926), Scottish historian * Horatio Caro (1862–1920), English chess player * Horatio Chriesman (1797–1878) American surveyor, mayor in Mexican Texas and participant in the Texas Revolution * Horatio Clare (born 1973), British author * Horatio Davies (1842–1912), London businessman, politician and magistrate * Horatio Dresser (1866–1945), New Thought religious leader and author * Horatio Earle (1855–1935), American road advocate * Horatio Gates (c. 1727–1806), American Revolutionary War general * Horatio Greenough (1805–1852), American sculptor * Horatio Hale (1817–1896), American-Canadian ethnologist, philologist and businessman * Horatio Hathaway (1831–1898), American industrialist, politician and philanthropist * Horatio Hocken (1857–1937), Canadian politician, social reformer and a founder of what became the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper * Horatio J. Homer (1848–1923), Boston's first African-American police officer * Horatio Nelson Jackson (1872–1955), American automobile pioneer and physician * Horatio Jones (pioneer) (1763–1836), American soldier and pioneer in Western New York * Horatio M. Jones (1826–1906), Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Nevada * Buck Jones (American football) (1888–1985), NFL football player in 1922 * Horatio King (1811–1897), American politician, Postmaster General of the United States * Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850–1916), British field marshal * Horatio Luro (1901–1991), American thoroughbred horse racing trainer * Horatio Mann (1744–1814), English politician * Horatio McCulloch (1806–1867), Scottish landscape painter * Horatio Needham (1796–1863), American politician and lawyer * Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), British admiral * Horatio Palavicino (c. 1540–1600), Italian-born financier and political agent in England * Horatio Parker (1863–1919), American composer * Horatio Frederick Phillips (1845–1924), early aviation pioneer from the United Kingdom * Horatio Potter (1802–1887), Episcopal bishop in the Diocese of New York * Horatio Powell (1806–1869), English jockey * Horatio Gordon Robley (1840–1930), British major general * Horatio Ross (1801–1886), Scottish sportsman and pioneering amateur photographer *

Horatio Sanz Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is an American comedian and actor. Sanz was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006. Early life Sanz was born on Ju ...

(born 1974), Chilean-born American comedian * Horatio Seymour (Vermont politician) (1778–1857), United States senator from Vermont * Horatio Seymour (1810–1886), American politician, 18th governor of New York * Horatio Sharpe (1718–1790), 22nd proprietary governor of Maryland * Horatio D. Sheppard (c. 1809–1879), American physician who founded the first penny press newspaper in the United States * Horatio Spafford (1828–1888), lawyer, hymn writer * Horatio Torromé (1861–1920), British/Argentinian figure skater * Horatio Townshend (c. 1683–1751), English banker and politician * Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend (1630–1687), English politician * Horatio P. Van Cleve (1809–1891), Union Army general during the American Civil War * Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury (1565–1635) (also Horatio de Vere), English military leader, grandfather of Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend * Horatio Walker (1858–1938), Canadian painter * Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole (1678–1757), English diplomat * Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1723–1809), British politician, son of the 1st baron Walpole * Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford (1752–1822), English politician, son of the 1st earl * Horatio Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford (1783–1858), British politician, son of the 2nd earl * Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (1717–1797), commonly known as

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

, English author, art historian, antiquarian and politician * Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (third creation) (1813–1894), British politician, son of the 3rd earl * Horatio Wills (1811–1861), Australian pastoralist and politician * Horatio Wright (1820–1899), American engineer and American Civil War Union Army general * Horatio Nelson Young (1845–1913), American Civil War sailor awarded the Medal of Honor

Fictional characters

Horatio (Hamlet) Horatio is a character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. He was present on the field when King Hamlet (the father of the main character, Prince Hamlet) defeated Fortinbras (the king of Norway), and he has travelled to court from the ...

, in the play ''

'' by William Shakespeare *

Horatio Caine Horatio "H" Caine is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American crime drama '' CSI: Miami'', portrayed by David Caruso from 2002 to 2012. He is the head of the crime lab, under the rank of Lieutenant of the Miami-Dade Police Dep ...

, a police lieutenant in the television series ''CSI: Miami'' * Horatio Carlin, in the video game '' Watch Dogs 2'' * Horatio Magellan Crunch, the mascot of '' Cap'n Crunch'' cereal * Admiral Lord Horatio D'Ascoyne, played by

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

in the movie ''

Kind Hearts and Coronets ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' is a 1949 British crime film, crime black comedy film directed by Robert Hamer. It features Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness; Guinness plays eight characters. The plot is loosely based ...

'' * Horatio Hellpop, in the comic book series ''Nexus'' *

Horatio Hornblower Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films and radio and television programmes, and ...

, naval hero in a series of C. S. Forester novels * Horatio Peter McCallister, in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' * Cap'n Horatio Turbot, a main character in the TV show '' Paw Patrol'' * Horatio the Elephant, a ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' muppet * Horatio 2.0, a robotic tarsier in the TV series ''The Nutshack'' * Horatio, the protagonist in the video game '' Pit People'' * Horatio, the founder of the Horatio faction in the strategy game '' Endless Space''

References

{{given name Masculine given names Latin given names English masculine given names

History

People

Fictional characters

See also

References