Latin Primer


When you reach the sixteenth and seventeenth century on your family tree you will encounter Latin in record keeping. This makes deciphering the records very challenging since Latin is rarely taught today and those that had in their youth have since forgotten it.

One of the first things you need to know about is numbers.
Below is a list of numbers in the different forms that they can come in.
Many church records use the Ordinal form with an 'o' at the end.
For example, septimo for the 7th, decimo for the 10th and vicessimo for the 20th.

									Cardinal		Ordinal
									1	unus	1st	primus	primo
									2	duo, duea	2nd	secondus	secundo
									3	tres, tria	3rd	tertius	tertio
									4	quattuor	4th	quatrus	quarto
									5	quinque	5th	quintus	quinto
									6	sex	6th	sextus	sexto
									7	septem	7th	septimus	septimo
									8	octo	8th	octavus	octavo
									9	novem	9th	nonus	nono
									10	decem	10th	decimus	decimo
									11	undecim	11th	undecimus	unidecimo
									12	dudecim	12th	duodecimus	duodecimo
									13	tredecim	13th	tertius decimus	tertio decimo
									14	quattuordecim	14th	quartus decimus	quarto decimo
									15	qundecim	15th	quntius decimus	quinto decimo
									16	sedecim	16th	sextus decimus	sexto decimo
									17	setemdecim	17th	septimus decimus	septimo decimo
									18	odeviginti	18th	duo devicesmus	duodevicesimo
									19	undeviginti	19th	undeviceimus	unodevicesimo
									20	viginti	20th	vicesimus or vigesimus	vicesimo
									21	viginti unus	21st	viceimus primus	vicesimo primo
									22	viginti duo	22nd	vicesimus secundus	vicesimo secundo
									23	viginti tre	23rd	vicesimus tertius	vicesimo tertio
									24	viginti quattuor	24th	viceimus quatrus	vicesimo quarto
									25	viginti quinque	25th	vicesimus quintus	vicesimo quinto
									26	viginti sex	26th	vicesimus sextus	vicesmo sexto
									27	viginti septem	27th	vicesimus septimus	vicesmo septimo
									28	viginti octo	28th	vicesimus octavus, dueodetricesimus	dueodetriceimo
									29	viginti novem	29th	vicesimus nonus, undetericemimus	undetericesimo
									30	trigenta	30th	tricesimus	tricesimo
									31	tiginta unus, unus et triginta	31st	triceimus primus, unus et tricesimus	tricesimo primo
									40	quandraginta	40th	quandragesimus
									50	quinquaginta	50th	quinquagerimus

Another way of expressing numbers centuries ago was to use Roman numerals.
They are written in combinations of the seven letters show below.
The letters can be written in capitals (XVI) or lower-case (xvi) letters.

I = 1
V = 5
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
X = 10
M = 1000


If smaller value numbers follow value larger value numbers, add the values together. If a smaller value number precedes a larger value number subtract the smaller from the larger. For example:

VII = (5+2) = 7
IX = (10-1) = 9
XL = (50-10) = 40
MDCCII = 100+500+200_2 = 1702
MCMLXIV = 1000+(1000-100)+50+10+(5-1) = 1964


Common Roman Numerals

				1 = I	14 = XIV	27 = XXVII	150 = CL
				2 = II	15 = XV	28 = XXVIII	200 = CC
				3 = III	16 = XVI	29 = XXIX	300 = CCC
				4 = IV	17 = XVII	30 = XXX	400 = CD
				5 = V	18 = XVIII	31 = XXXI	500 = D
				6 = VI	19 = XIX	40 = XL	600 = DC
				7 = VII	20 = XX	50 = L	700 = DCC
				8 = VIII	21 = XXI	60 = LX	800 = DCCC
				9 = IX	22 = XXII	70 = LXX	900 = CM
				10 = X	23 = XXIII	80 = LXXX	1000 = M
				11 = XI	24 = XXIV	90 XC	1600 = MDC
				12 = XII	25 = XXV	100 = C	1700 = MDCC
				13 = XIII	26 = XXVI	101 = CI	1800 = MDCCC

Dates and Time

In Latin records, dates are often written out.
Numbers usually end with an 'o' when used within a date.

For example: Anno Dominio millesimo sescentesimo nongesimo quarto et die decimo septimo mensis Maii.

Translation: In the year of (our) Lord one thousand six hundred ninety-four, and on the seventeenth day of the month of May.

Note: Sometimes i and j are used interchangeably, so you can have Maii and Maij, which both mean the month of May.

		Months
		English	Latin
		January	Januarius, Januarij
		February	Februarius, Februarij
		March	Martius, Marcij
		April	Aprilis
		May	Maius, Maij
		June	Junius, Junij
		July	Julius, Julij
		August	Augustus, Augustij
		September	September, Septembris, 7ber, VIIber
		October	October, Octobris, 8ber, VIIIber
		November	November, Nouembris, 9ber, IXber
		December	December, Decembris, 10ber, Xber
		Days of the Week
		English	Latin
		Sunday	dominica, dies dominuca, dominicus, dies Solis, feria prima
		Monday	feria seconda, dies Lunae, lune
		Tuesday	feria tertia, dies Martis, martis
		Wednesday	feria quarta, dies Mercurii, mercurii, mercurinus, mercoris
		Thursday	feria qunta, dies Jovis, jovis
		Friday	feria sexta, dies Verenis, verneris
		Saturday	feria septima, sabbatum, dies sabbatinus, dies Satumi, sabbati
		Phrases Indicating Time
		Latin	English
		anno domini	in the year of our Year
		anno incarnationis	in the year (since/of) the incarnation of the Lord
		annus bissextus (bissextilis)	leap year
		anti, ante	before
		ante meridiem	before noon (a.m.)
		altera die	on the next day
		biduum	space of two days, two-day period
		cras	tomorrow
		die sequenti	on the following day
		die vero	this very day
		ejustdem die	of the same day
		eodem anno	in the same year
		eodem die	on the same day
		eodem mense	in the same month
		eo tempore	at this time
		hodie	today
		long tempore	for a long time
		mane	in the morning
		meridie	noon
		nocte	at night
		nudius terius	three days earlier
		nunc dies terius	three days earlier
		nunc temporis	of the present time
		perendi	day after tommorow
		pomerid	after noon (p.m.)
		post meridiem	after noon (p.m.)
		postridie	on the day after, a day later
		pridie	the day before
		pro tempore	for (at) the time
		triduum	three day period
		tunc temporis	of former time
		vespere	in the evening

Latin Genealogical Terms

		English	Latin
		birth	nati, natus, genitus, natales, ortus, oriundus
		burial	sepulti, sepulutus, humantus, humantio
		christening	baptismi, baptizatus, renatus, plutus, lautus, purgatus, ablutus, lustratio
		child	ifans, filius (son of), filia (daughter of), puer, proles
		death	mortutuus, defunctus, obitus, denatus, decessus, peritus, mors, mortis, obiit, decessit
		father	pater
		husband	maritus, sponsus, conjus, vir
		marriage	martimonium, copulatio, copulati, conjuncti, nupti, sponsati, ligati, mariti
		marriage banns	banni, proclamationes, denuntiationes
		mother	mater
		name, given name	nomen
		name, surname	cognomen
		parents	parentes, genitores
		premature birth	abortivus
		stillborn son or daughter	anonymus, anonyma
		stranger, foreigner	ambo
		wife	vxor, uxor, marita, conjux, sponsa, mulier, femina, consors
		widow	vidua, relicta
		widower	viduas, relictus

Now that you have been exposed to a bit of Latin you can now test your knowledge against some entries from a Gisburn, Yorkshire parish register in the 16th century.

Baptisms
Anno Elizabethe Tricessimo primo
Willmus filius Johis Ellingthropp decimo septimo die Nouembris
Hericus filus Henrici Wilkinson de Horton secunda Februarij
Ellena filia Chri: Hornbie Jun^ro quarto die Aprilis 1589
Deonis filius Eduardi Bruskay vicessimo die aprilis
Robertus filius Richi Fort terio die maij
Thomas filius Antho Carr decimo quinto die Junij
Rihus filius Johis Junio^r quinto die Augustij
Johis filius Tho: Cooke de Coate decimo die Augustij

English Translation
In the Year of our Lord Elizabeth 31 i.e. The 31st year of Elizabeth I reign, 1589
William son [of] John Ellingthrop 17th day [of] November
Henry son [of] Henry Wilkinson from Horton Second [day of] February
Ellen or Ellena daughter [of] Christopher Hornbie Junior 4th day [of] April 1589
Deon? son [of] Edward Bruskay 20th day [of] April
Robert son [of] Richard Fort 3rd day [of] May
Thomas son [of] Anthony Carr 15th day [of] June
Richard son [of] John Junior [last name missing] 5th day [of] August
John son [of] Thomas Cooke from Coate 10th day [of] August



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Last updated: February 19, 2026