Iunius

Iunius is a Latin name with multiple related senses in Roman onomastics and calendrics. Primarily, it is the masculine nomen (nomen gentile) of the Roman gens Iunia, from which male members bore the cognomen Iunius and females the feminine Iunia. The gens Iunia produced several magistrates and appears in various inscriptions; the best known member is Lucius Iunius Brutus, credited with overthrowing the kings and helping establish the Roman Republic. Other Iunii appear in later periods in historical sources or inscriptions, but many individuals with the name are less well documented. In English-language texts, the family name is typically rendered Junius.

In addition to its use as a personal name, Iunius is the Latin name of the month June (Iunius), part of the old Roman calendar. The month sits between Maius (May) and Quintilis (later renamed Julius and then July), and it was traditionally associated with the goddess Juno. This calendrical sense is distinct from the gens name, though both forms share the same root in Latin.

Etymology and origin of the nomen Iunius are not definitively known, as with many early Roman nomina. It is generally treated as a historical Gentile name rather than a modern given name, and it does not imply direct connection to other individuals bearing the surname across time. The feminine form of the gens is Iunia, with the plural Iunae for women in historical records.

See also: Iunia (gens).