Edictum Censoris Senioris Caesonis Fabii Quintiliani XXIV Nominibus Adoptatorum

Preamble:
This edictum is hereby enacted to help cives who wish to organise their gens into several domus. It offers a consistent alternative to the Lex Equitia de Familia as far as distinctive names within the same domus are concerned. This edictum is a result of recent experiences where the Censorial Cohors had to deal with multiple adoptions of several members of the same gens into one familia; In these cases the only distinction between members of that familia would have been to add yet another agnomen (primus, secundus, tertius etc) to distinguish one civis from the other. The censorial office judged that this solution was not satisfactory as it cannot ensure that each civis would easily be identifiable nor that his/her own individuality would truly be reflected in their new name. This edictum reflects both traditional Roman nomenclature and the spirit of flexibility and practicality that were qualities of our forefathers.

1. Adoption involving two cives belonging to two different gentes.
   1. The adopted party will take the Nomen AND Cognomen of his/her adopting parent.
   2. The adopted party will add to his/her new name an Agnomen based on the root of his/her old Nomen to which will be added -ianus/iana according to the gender.
   3. The adopted party will be able to retain his/her praenomen should he/she wish to, so long as the adopting parent agrees.
   4. example
   • M. Anicius Brutus wishes to be adopted by the paterfamilias L. Lucretius Candidus.
   • M. Anicius Brutus wishes to keep his Praenomen Marcus. His new name, after the adoption is completed will be: M. Lucretius Candidus Anicianus.
2. Adoption involving two cives belonging to two different domus within the same gens.
   1. The adopted party will take the Nomen AND Cognomen of his/her adopting parent.
   2. The adopted party will retain his/her old Cognomen and use it as an Agnomen in his new name. This Agnomen will not be inherited by his/her filiifamilias.
   3. The usual Cognomen resulting from adoption (ending in -ianus/-iana and based on the root of the nomen of the adopted party and as defined by the Lex Equitia de Familia) is dropped.
   4. The adopted party will be able to retain his/her praenomen should he/she wish to, so long as the adopting parent agrees.
   5. Example:
   • M. Anicius Brutus wishes to be adopted by the paterfamilias L. Anicius Lepidus.
   • M. Anicius Brutus wishes to keep his Praenomen Marcus. His new name, after the adoption is completed, will be: M. Anicius Lepidus Brutus.
   • Please note the difference with I.D above where the new name would have been: M. Anicius Lepidus Anicianus.
3. This Edictum becomes effective immediately.

Given the XIst December, in the year of the Consulship of Gnaeus Salix Astur and Gnaeus Equitius Marinus, 2757 AUC

21 December MMDCCLVII

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