Boy · Latin
Gnaeus
Say it: NEE-us
Meaning
Origin uncertain; ancient writers linked it to naevus 'birthmark', a guess not confirmed.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
A regular Roman praenomen, abbreviated Cn., that went out of use with the end of the Roman naming system.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Cnaeus, Naeus
Famous bearers
- Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Pompey the Great
- Gnaeus Julius Agricola, governor of Britain
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Roman literature and history (Livy, Cicero, Tacitus and others)
- Roman inscriptions and tombstones
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.