November: November's name comes from novem, Latin for “nine.'ĭecember: December's name come from decem, Latin for “ten.'įebruary: Around 690 B.C., Numa Pompilius turned a period of celebration at the end of the year into a month of its own, named after the festival Februa. October: October's name comes from octo, Latin for “eight.' September: September's name comes from septem, Latin for “seven.' Though we think of September, October, November, and December as months 9, 10, 11 and 12, these months were 7, 8, 9, and 10 on the ancient Roman calendar. Previously, August was called “Sextillia,' which was Latin for “sixth.'

Previously, July was called “Quintilis,' which is Latin for “fifth.'Īugust: August was named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C. July: July was named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. June: Apparently, June has always been a popular month for weddings! The Romans named June after Juno, the queen of the gods and patroness of marriage and weddings. May: May was named after Maia, an earth goddess of growing plants. Still others think April was named after the goddess Aphrodite. Others claim it comes from “ aperire,' a Latin word meaning “to open,' because it represents the opening of buds and flowers in spring. Some say April got its name from the Latin word meaning “second' since April was the second month on the ancient calendar. Since March was the first month of the new year in ancient Rome, some historians believe the Romans named March after Mars, the Roman god of war.Īpril: Three theories exist regarding the origin of April's name. March: The ancient Romans insisted that all wars cease during the time of celebration between the old and new years.

Let's take a look at how the ancient Romans chose the names of the 12 months of the year. Would you believe January was not always the first month of the year? The ancient Romans used a different calendar system, and their year began in March and ended in February!Įven though our modern system may be quite different from the ancient Romans', they gave us something very important: the months' names.

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