Tacitus

[SeanChailleach]

I love this, pronounced the Classical Latin way with the hard c.
Is it one of those names that's really common in a country we don't hear much from?

No. That will almost certainly become Tacki.

@SeanChailleach I love Tacitus as a name. All you’d have to is educate people as to the pronunciation. Don’t let a few people on here dissuade you from using a great name.

@garbagetruck

Thought it was pronounced tass-i-tus? Only know it from the historian so, no other knowledge of the name meaning. Not sure about it as a name in all honesty.

Most people in the UK pronounce it Tass-i-tus. There is a “well actually” subgroup of people who point out it was probably pronounced Tack-i-tus by actual Romans.

It'd make a great poncey name choice. Goo change of direction from Ptolemy, Ottilie, Peregrine, Cressida and Jocasta, or whatever the other stereotypical names are. I might start using it as my go to example of an MN name.

Balonz is better

We started every Latin lesson with the teacher saying "Salvete, sedate, tacite".

I can't say it's my favourite of the Latin names.

Thaddeus
Caractacus
Atticus

@RunFromMyScytheAndMyMerkin

Balonz is better

We should make this sticky - Balonz is better than 95% of the names on here

I really dislike it, it just doesn’t sound nice to me at all. There are also no nice nickname options if he doesn’t like it, the only nickname is Tack/Tacky. Reminds me of taciturn.

Agree with a pp as well that it sounds a bit pretentious, like the parent is trying to advertise their knowledge of Roman history with their child’s name.

It fails the JRM test for me - if I could easily envisage him giving a child of his a particular name, that name wouldn't be one for me to consider.

I don't like it.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll jrm?

@SionnachRua that's a little harsh - I have found out that it's not uncommon in Brazil, as Tácito.

Taki is very common as a Greek nickname. I've worked with a Tacu (Romanian).

@greycurtainswithdiamondf oh yes Caractacus!

Interesting to hear the views of those who studied Latin at school.

I’ve always heard it said as Tass-i-tus. I’m aware that’s probably not how the Romans said it, but it is how it’s usually said in the UK, and saddling a child with a name that most people will pronounce wrong is a bit mean.

Also, it’s so closely linked to that one historian - and while he’s famous he’s not
universally admired - I think most people who’ve studied the period agree that he was unfairly biased in his writing, he hated Tiberius so was always very negative about him. It’s not like he’s regarded as the best historian, just an early well-known one.

If you do get people to pronounce it correctly, it will be nicknames to Tacky which isn’t very nice.

And JRM is Jacob Rees mogg, if he would like a name then bearing in mind that he is a massive arsehole that would put a lot of people off.

There are much better Latin names out there tbh.

TBH my first thought was someone with very long arms tickling me. Must have jumped to tactile. However I did not study Latin at school and barely English

@Ahbahbahbah

I’ve always heard it said as Tass-i-tus. I’m aware that’s probably not how the Romans said it, but it is how it’s usually said in the UK, and saddling a child with a name that most people will pronounce wrong is a bit mean.

Also, it’s so closely linked to that one historian - and while he’s famous he’s not
universally admired - I think most people who’ve studied the period agree that he was unfairly biased in his writing, he hated Tiberius so was always very negative about him. It’s not like he’s regarded as the best historian, just an early well-known one.

If you do get people to pronounce it correctly, it will be nicknames to Tacky which isn’t very nice.

And JRM is Jacob Rees mogg, if he would like a name then bearing in mind that he is a massive arsehole that would put a lot of people off.

There are much better Latin names out there tbh.

This will be my top post of today, and probably the week. I would love to know how many people’s first thoughts would be to think Tacitus was a poor choice of historian to name him after because of his bias against Tiberius. I love you for this. @Ahbahbahbah.

I agree with others though that while the hard ‘c’ might be considered the right way to say the name, we’ve been Tassitusing away for centuries so we’re not losing that pronunciation any time soon. If you try to use the ‘modern’ way, you’ll be lining him up for a lot of correcting people. Kickero would meet with a similar fate.

If you like it though, OP, I reckon go for it. There is such huge variety in names now. Tacky might well end up a shortening but you’d probably just not think about its alternative meaning.

@SeanChailleach I studied Latin and I'm fairly sure at university we pronounced it with a soft C, so a "suh" sound rather than a "kuh" sound. Though that was 15 years ago so I may be mistaken, and like @Dailyhandtowelwash said it's been pronounced that way (maybe incorrectly) for literally centuries. Child will spend its life correcting people.

There are so many great Latin names to choose from!

Also @Ahbahbahbah I love your point about his bias, I'd love if that was the deciding factor on whether to use the name!

@Ginfilledcats when I started Latin 30 years ago I was told that everyone now uses a hard ‘c’. That was then essentially ignored for pretty much all names outside text books for the next ten years I spent studying it!

It made me think of tinnitus. But if you like it don't worry what anyone else thinks. Names get changed to all sorts of nicknames anyway. I still don't understand why Peggy is a nickname for Margaret!

People will either not recognise it or pronounce it with a soft C.

I have not enjoyed my parents’ choice of a name that always needs correcting because even after I correct it people carry on with the wrong version or switch to another wrong version. In the end I give up because it’s a choice between that and being a total PITA pedant.

Pretentious. Agree with pp that it’s up there with Ptolemy and Pliny.

I don’t like the meaning or the sound, so it would be a no from me. There are much nicer Latin names if that’s the direction you want to go in.

I don’t really like the sound of it - all other more intellectual matters aside. Especially if pronounced with a hard c. There are much nicer Roman names out there. I actually really like Tiberius, ironically. If I had to use one in real life though it would be either Julius or Claudius.

Dreadful and totally ridiculous. Just a Big No from me. And lots of others