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The Names of the Months
- January:
named after Janus, the god of doors and gates
- February:
named after Februalia, a time period when sacrifices were made to atone for sins
- March:
named after Mars, the god of war
- April:
from
aperire,
Latin for “to open” (buds)
- May:
named after Maia, the goddess of growth of plants
- June:
from
junius,
Latin for the goddess Juno
- July:
named after Julius Caesar in 44
B.C.
- August:
named after Augustus Caesar in 8
B.C.
- September:
from
septem,
Latin for “seven”
- October:
from
octo,
Latin for “eight”
- November:
from
novem,
Latin for “nine”
- December:
from
decem,
Latin for “ten”
NOTE: The earliest Latin calendar was a 10-month one, beginning with March; thus, September was the seventh month, October, the eighth, etc. July was originally called Quintilis, meaning fifth; August was originally called Sextilis, meaning sixth.
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