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Unveiling the Meaning Behind the Name Titus

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Titus Overview

  • Meaning: Titus was a Roman name that means “title of honor,” from the Latin “titulus.” It also means “title,” “inscription,” and “strength.” In Latin, it can mean “saved” and refers to the Greek Titans or mythological giants.
  • Gender: Titus is a boy’s name that pairs with Tita for a girl.
  • Origin: Titus was a Latin praenomen (“personal name”) in Rome. It was one of the most popular first names for Roman boys, but it only appeared in the English-speaking world in the 19th-century.
  • Pronunciation: Titus is pronounced “TIEY-Tuhs” in English.
  • Popularity: Titus recently ranked in the top 1,000 boy names in the U.S. and first became popular in the 1960s. Titus peaked at 281st in 2015 and is still considered somewhat common today.
  • Nicknames: Ti, Tidal, Tito, Titu, Tussy, Ty, Tyty.
  • Variations: Tiitus, Tite, Titek, Tito, Titos, Tizio, Tytus.
  • Namesakes: Titus Davis, American football player with the San Diego Chargers. Titus Tarquinius, son of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.

What Does Titus Mean?

Titus originated as a Roman title that became a boy’s name, deriving from the Latin “titulus,” meaning “title of honor.” It also simply means “title,” “sign,” “inscription,” and “strength.”

Titus also means “saved” in Latin and refers to the giant titans in Greek and Roman mythology who became gods. Titus is sometimes associated with the Greek “tīo,” meaning “to honor.” It may link to the Latin “titillo,” meaning “to tickle,” and “titio,” meaning “firebrand.”

What Is the Origin of the Name Titus?

Titus is known as a Roman praenomen (also called a personal name), which was very popular in ancient Rome. It ranked 6th among Roman names like Lucius, Gaius, Marcus, Publius, and Quintus. Titus eventually evolved into the Latin surname Titia. It’s best known for the Roman military commander/emperor Titus. Men named Titus were sometimes called “T.”

We may recognize Titus as the title character of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, but it began usage as an English name after the Protestant Reformation in the 17th-century. The TV show “Titus” in the year 2000 helped make this ancient name modern and relevant again.

How Popular Is the Name Titus?

Titus recently ranked 1015th for U.S. boys and as high as 362nd in 2022. Thanks to the TV series “Titus,” it has increased in popularity for boys in the U.S. since the 1960s. Titus peaked at 281st for U.S. boys in 2015 and stayed popular through 2018, when it ranked 312th in America.

How Do I Pronounce Titus?

Titus is pronounced “TAEY-Tahs” in English.

Is Titus a Boy or Girl Name?

Titus is a boy’s name since the female equivalent is usually Tita.

Variations of Titus

Titus has made a few strong appearances in certain countries:

  • Tiitus (Finnish)
  • Tite (French)
  • Titek (Polish)
  • Tito (Italian)
  • Titos (Greek)
  • Tizio (Italian)
  • Tytus (Polish)

Nicknames for Titus

You’ll discover some cool nicknames anyone named Titus will love:

  • Ti
  • Tidal
  • Tito
  • Titu
  • Tussy
  • Ty
  • Tyty

Similar Names to Titus

Many of these names come from ancient Rome, just like Titus:

Middle Names for Titus

Titus feels natural as a first name for any of these middle names:

Sibling Names for Titus

Go classical with these sophisticated sibling names for Titus:

Famous People Named Titus

From ancient times to today, many people named Titus have found fame:

  • Sir Titus Salt: English manufacturer of Salt’s Mill.
  • Titus: Ring name for Ryan Wilson, an NWA wrestler.
  • Titus Bramble: English footballer in the Premier League.
  • Titus Brandsma: Dutch Catholic friar and Nazi opponent.
  • Titus Corlățean: Romanian Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs.
  • Titus Kaphar: American painter with work in the Brooklyn Museum.
  • Titus Leo: American football player for the Indiana Colts.
  • Titus Lewis: Welsh writer of “A Welsh-English Dictionary” (1805).
  • Titus Munteanu: Romanian TV director for TVR-1.
  • Titus Oates: English priest known for the “Popish Plot.”
  • Titus O’Neil: Ring name of American WWE wrestler.
  • Titus Tatius: King of the Sabines and joint-ruler of the Kingdom of Rome.
  • Titus Thotawatte: Sri Lankan director of “Hendaya” (1980).
  • Titus Welliver: American actor appearing in the HBO series “Deadwood.”
  • Titus Zeman: Slovak priest and member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
  • Titus van Rijn: Son of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

Titus in Popular Culture

Many pop cultural characters have taken advantage of being named Titus:

  • Komutan Titus: Character appearing in the Turkish series “Diriliş: Ertuğrul.”
  • Titus: 1999 film based on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.
  • Titus: Character in the TV series “The 100.”
  • Titus: Character in the video game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.
  • Titus: Character located in District 6 in “The Hunger Games” books.
  • Titus: Tiger character from Marvel Comic book stories.
  • Titus: Title character in the video game Titus the Fox.
  • Titus Andromedon: Character from the Netflix series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
  • Titus Andronicus: Title character of William Shakespeare’s play of the same name.
  • Titus Faversham: Character in the radio series “The Penny Dreadfuls Present.”
  • Titus Fitch: Character from the Iris Murdoch novel “The Sea, the Sea” by Iris Murdoch.
  • Titus Groan: Main character in Mervyn Peake’s “Gormenghast” books.
  • Titus Pullo: Character in the HBO TV series “Rome.”
  • Titus Strega-Borgia: Character name from the “YA Pure Dead” series.

Titus FAQs

There is yet more background to learn about in connection with Titus.

What Is the Biblical Meaning of Titus?

In the Bible, Titus is a well-known character whose name means “pleasing,” “go,” and “to honor.” He was an associate of the apostle Paul and one of the first leaders of the Christian church. Titus received one of Paul’s epistles and became the first bishop on the island of Crete.

Who Is Titus in Mythology?

In Greek mythology, Titus Tatius is the name of a Sabine king. Initially, from Cures (now in modern-day Italy), he helped find Rome with Romulus, which led to the famous ancient conflict between the Romans and the Sabines. Romulus lured the Sabines to a festival only to kidnap their women. Tatius Tatius was also called Titus Sabinus when he was a joint ruler of Rome.

What Is Titus Andronicus Known For?

Titus Andronicus is the title character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy and a Roman general who fought against the Goths. Prisoners of war took their revenge on Titus Andronicus by killing his sons and raping his daughter. In the end, Titus kills the former prisoners and serves them in a pie to their mother.

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About the Author

Maryana Vestic

Maryana Vestic is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and food photographer with a background in entertainment Business Affairs. She studied film at NYU, Irish Theatre Studies at Trinity College Dublin, and has an MFA in Creative Writing Nonfiction from The New School. She loves cooking, baking, hiking, and horror films, as well as running a local baking business in Brooklyn with her boyfriend.