Read on as we journey through the origins of each month’s name, uncovering the fascinating stories and cultural influences that have shaped our calendar.
January: named after Janus, a two-faced god of doors and gateways whose one face looked back on the old year while the other looked forward to the new one.
February: named in honor of the Februa festival, personified by Februus, the Roman god of purification.
March: named after Mars, the god of war, with his month ushering in the start of the war season as hostilities resume after halting during winter.
April: named after Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, or the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open,” representing the season plant life begins to open in spring.
May: named after Maia, a goddess of the earth and of plant growth, symbolizing a month associated with a surge in plant activity.
June: named after Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth and also the wife of Jupiter, the king of gods. June has always been a popular month for weddings, as the goddess would bring happiness and prosperity to all those who wed in her month.
July: Previously called Quintilis, which is Latin for “fifth,” the month was later named after Julius Caesar in honor of his reorganizing the calendar in 46 BCE.
August: named after Augustus Caesar, the grandnephew and adopted heir of Julius Caesar, who in 8 BCE transformed Rome from a republic into an empire ruled by an emperor.
September: from the Latin word septem (seven), as this had been the seventh month of the ancient Roman calendar which started the year in March.
October: from the Latin word octo (eight).
November: from the Latin word novem (nine).
December: from the Latin word decem (ten).
Like to learn more about the origin of timekeeping and our calendar? Why not check out our dedicated page called ‘10 Interesting Facts About The Calendar‘.