Aulus (praenomen)

Aulus (/ˈaʊləs/ or /ˈɔːləs/; Latin pronunciation: [ˈau̯lʊs]) is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was common throughout Roman history from the earliest times to the end of the Western Empire in the fifth century. The feminine form is Aula. An alternative pronunciation leads to the variant spellings Olus or Ollus and Olla. Aulus was widely used by both patrician and plebeian gentes. The name gave rise to the patronymic gens Aulia, and perhaps also to gens Avilia and the cognomen Avitus. The name was usually abbreviated A., but occasionally Av. or Avl.

For most of Roman history, Aulus was one of the ten most common praenomina, being less common than Titus, the sixth most common praenomen, and comparable in frequency to Gnaeus, Spurius, and Sextus.

The 4th century epitome De Praenominibus (Concerning Praenomina) by Julius Paris derives the name from the verb alo, to nourish. However, Chase argues that in no circumstances could the simple root of al- be transmuted into aul-. Another popular etymology derived the name from aula or olla, a palace, perhaps implying nobility, or from its homonym, aula or olla, a pot, presumably an affectionate reference to the size and shape of a healthy baby. Both of these are also probably examples of false etymology.

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