Boy · Latin (possibly Etruscan)
Spurius
Say it: SPYOOR-ee-us
Meaning
Origin uncertain. Ancient writers connected it with spurius 'of unknown father', but scholars doubt this, and an Etruscan origin has been proposed.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
An early Roman praenomen, abbreviated Sp., that grew rare by the late Republic.
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
Famous bearers
- Spurius Cassius Vecellinus, early Roman consul
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.