Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Titus

Titus is an old Roman given name dating back to Antiquity and one of the most commonly used praenomens (first name) in ancient Rome (like Lucius, Gaius, Marcus, and Quintus). The name dates back many centuries and was borne by Titus Tatius, King of the Sabines in the 8th century B.C., who would later co-rule over all the Sabines and Latins with Romulus. The name possibly comes from the Latin “titulus” which means ‘title of honor’. In the first century AD, Titus Flavius Vespasianus was a Roman Emperor noted for destroying Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD during one of the Jewish-Roman Wars (they were basically fighting over religious tensions and government taxation). As a result, Titus had quite reputation for ruthlessness so the Roman citizens weren’t exactly tickled pink with his ascension to Emperor. They would soon be proven wrong. It was during Titus’ reign that three natural disasters occurred – the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD (completely destroying Pompeii), the Great Fire of Rome (completely destroying many important buildings) and an outbreak of the Plague. Although his reign was cut short by fever at the age of 41, he is remembered as a great, generous, capable and affable Emperor who respectfully treated his citizens and came to their aid in a time of great need. Titus is a name that also shows up in the New Testament as a companion of Paul who became the first Christian bishop of Crete. Lastly, Shakespeare wrote a tragedy in 1593 called “Titus Andronicus” (a fictionalized Roman general and war hero). Titus has never been a particular favorite among English-speakers, but it has been around for a remarkable amount of time. Probably one of the longest enduring names known to western civilization! The Puritans adopted the name during the Protestant Reformation (probably in light of the New Testament reference). But in most cases, Titus has never been a heavily used name.

All About the Baby Name – Titus

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME TITUS

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME TITUS

Titus is a name that appeared on the U.S. popularity charts sporadically at the end of the 19th century and early 1900s but then pretty much disappeared until the 1960s. For the rest of the 20th century, Titus was used very sparingly on baby boys, although now that we’re in the 21st century, the name’s popularity appears to be improving. Still only a moderately used name, Titus would be considered a more exotic choice. It’s one of those old Roman names that has endured for centuries, but not as common as, say, Marcus, Dominic or Julius. Rather, this ‘title of honor’ is bestowed on barely 700 baby boys per year keeping it an original and generally underused choice. Titus also conjures up the powerful Greek gods referred to as the “Titans” who ruled during Greece’s Golden Age, predating the Olympian gods. Titus is a name with a dignified old world strength and leadership quality.

Quick Facts

ON TITUS

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

316

PRONUNCIATION:

TIE-təs

SIMPLE MEANING:

Title of honor

Characteristics

OF TITUS

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Titus

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME TITUS

Titus Andronicus is the fictional Roman general as depicted by Shakespeare in his very bloody tragedy of the same name, probably written between 1588 and 1593. Titus returns to Rome after years of war with the Goths, bringing with him their queen, Tamora, as captive, along with her three sons and Aaron the Moor, Tamora’s secret lover. Titus sacrifices Tamora’s oldest son on behalf of his own dead sons in accordance with Roman ritual, thereby earning him her undying hatred. Tamora, having married the new Roman emperor, Saturninus, is now in a position to effect revenge on Titus, with the help of Aaron. This she does, and Titus is subjected to an unimaginable hell of cruelty, violence, murder and loss on a monumental scale. He appears to have succumbed to madness near the play’s end, when in fact he is planning his own counter-revenge upon his enemies. He might as well be mad, for all he has lost, and ultimately he is murdered, but not before he has wreaked his own vengeance upon his enemies. Suffice it to say that this play is so steeped in blood and violence that it was not even performed during the Victorian era (except with extreme bowdlerism), and has only seemed to enjoy a resurgence of popularity since the latter half of the twentieth century. This may or may not be a commentary on the tenor of our times. Our suggestion: If you use the name “Titus”, just leave the Andronicus part out – no associations.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME TITUS

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Titus


Popular Songs

ON TITUS

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Titus


Famous People

NAMED TITUS

Titus Kinimaka (surfer)
Titus van Rijn (artist’s model)
Titus Oates (English fabricator of the “Popish Plot”)
Titus Salt (English creator of alpaca cloth)
Titus Adams (football player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED TITUS

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Titus

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME TITUS

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Titus