vincentius

Vincentius is the Latin form of the given name Vincent, derived from the Latin vincere, meaning to conquer or prevail. As a masculine name, it was widely used in the late antique and medieval Christian world and appears in ecclesiastical Latin texts and hagiographies. In Christian tradition, several saints and church figures bore the name Vincentius, with varying levels of historical documentation.

The best-known bearer is Vincentius of Lérins (died circa 445), a French monk associated with the monastery on Saint-Honorat Island near Cannes. He is the author of the Commonitorium, an influential short text on Christian tradition and the rule of faith that helped shape medieval Catholic thought about Scripture, tradition, and doctrinal authority.

Other individuals named Vincentius appear in local martyrologies and episcopal lists, often as bishops, priests, or martyrs in the late antique and medieval periods. Because many such figures are primarily known from sparse or local records, exact identifications vary by tradition and source.

In modern usage, the name exists mainly in its regional forms: Vincent (English, French), Vincenzo (Italian), Vicente (Spanish), Vicent (Catalan), and Vinzenz (German). The form Vincentius is primarily encountered in historical writings and hagiographies.