Flourishing in the 7th and 6th centuries B.C, the Etruscan civilisation was the cradle of the later Roman civilisation, which inherited a lot from its predecessor. Eventually, the Etruscan language disappeared and the Etruscans themselves merged with the other local peoples, eventually to form a single (albeit far from homogeneous) "Roman" nation.
Etruscan Onomastics
For a long time the Etruscan script and language were a mystery. Even today, our knowledge of it is patchy at best. Around 10 000 (mostly short) inscriptions have survived to our days, and they are our source for Etruscan names.
Often, their meaning, if any, is obscure. But they can be surprisingly sweet-sounding and not as difficult to pronounce as one would expect from such an ancient relic.
Etruscan Female Names
Here are a few Etruscan female names gleaned from inscriptions. The selection is by no means exhaustive, and space considerations prevent us from going into the possible meanings of each name. But there is enough material available both online and offline, so researching them further shouldn't be too difficult a task.
- Hanunia: the name of an Etruscan lady whose life has been documented well enough to offer a relatively comprehensive glimpse into the daily life of an Etruscan woman of her stature. (See J. Swaddling & J. Prag, Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa: The Story of an Etruscan Noblewoman, 2006.
- Hasti or Hastia (also Fastia)
- Hinthial: meaning “shadow”, “ghost”, or “apparition”, as well as “reflection” (on water, in a mirror), it was allegedly “one of the most intriguing and important words in Etruscan”, possibly meaning “the shadow of Helen”, the legendary Trojan beauty. (see J. T. Hooker, Reading the Past, 1990, p. 352)
- Ramtha
- Sethra
- Tita (pronounced Tee-tah)
- Thana
- Tanaquil
- Velia
Etruscan Male Names
- Aranth or Arnth
- Cae or Cai (possibly the origin of the later Latin name, “Caius”, borne by Julius Caesar, among others)
- Caile
- Larth, also Laris or Lars
- Marce (probably pronounced Mar-tseh, the name that originated the later Roman name Marcus)
- Sethre
- Spurinna (this was the name of the seer who warned Julius Caesar against the Ides of March)
- Tages (pronounced TAH-ghes, the name of a prophet)
- Tarchon, also Tarquin – not an entirely unusual name, it survived to our days via the Latin language. Tarchon was, together with his brother Tyrrhenus, the mythical founder of the Etruscan league of cities.
- Thefarie (later evolved into the Latin “Tiberius”)
- Thyrrenus – see Tarchon.
- Tite (probably pronounced TEE-teh)
- Vel
- Velthur
If you're one of those parents who insist on bestowing upon their children nothing less than the personal protection of assorted gods, here is a brief selection of major and minor deities for you.
(The capital letter in parentheses following each name refers to the gender of the name, F for female, M for male.)
- Aita, also Eita (M): the Etruscan god of the Underworld
- Artume (F): the goddess of Night and Death
- Charun, also: Charu, Karun (M): demon of Death
- Evan (F): the goddess of personal immortality.
- Horta (F): goddess of Agriculture
- Losna (F): a Moon goddess.
- Nortia (F): the goddess of Fate and Fortune.
- Selvans (M): the predecessor of the Roman god Silvanus, the god of Forests
- Sethlans (M) – the equivalent of the Greek god Hephaistos or the Roman god Vulcan, he is the god of Fire and blacksmithing.
- Voltumna, also Veltha (M) – the name of the supreme god of the Etruscan pantheon, a purely Etruscan divinity. This is as Etruscan as you can possibly get.
- Thalna (F): the goddess of Childbirth
- Thesan (F): the goddess of Dawn and patroness of childbirth
- Tinia (M): the supreme Sky god of the Etruscans, abiding in the northern part of the sky.
- Turan (F) – the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus, Turan was the Etruscan goddess of Love, Health and Fertility.
- Turms (M) – the equivalent of the Greek god Hermes and the Roman god Mercurius, he guides the deceased through the Underworld.
- Uni (F) – the supreme goddess of the Etruscans, equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera and the Roman goddess Juno (the goddess of home and family)
- Vanth (F) – a winged fury of the Underworld
- Veive (M): the god of Revenge.
Some of the names above are more or less romantically – but not necessarily accurately – interpreted in texts all over the internet. If you're very keen on your baby girl being the namesake of, say, an Etruscan “goddess of Love”... do your homework before assigning her a name.
Recommended Reading:
J. T. Hooker, Reading the Past, 1990.
Judith Swaddling (ed.) & John Prag (ed.), Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa: The Story of an Etruscan Noblewoman, British Museum Research Publication, 2006.
Jacques Heurgon, Daily Life of the Etruscans, 2002.
Antonella Magagnini, The Etruscans, 2008.
Helle Hermyan - The world is my home. You name it, I've been there. You name it, I've done it. Now, I want to share it.
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