Quentin
Male nameLatin
✨ Meaning
Quentin comes from the Latin Quintinus, a diminutive of Quintus, meaning fifth. Roman families frequently named sons by numerical order, and Quintus was among the most common of those numeral names, alongside Sextus and Decimus. What began as plain bookkeeping became, through centuries of use, a name with no numerical feel left in it at all.
🌍 Origin
Saint Quentin, a third-century missionary martyred in Roman Gaul, gave his name to the French town of Saint-Quentin and made the name a fixture in France. It travelled to England after the Norman Conquest and has been used steadily in the English-speaking world since, gaining fresh visibility through French and American cinema and through children's book illustration.
⭐ Famous People Named Quentin
- Quentin Tarantino
- Quentin Blake
- Quentin Crisp
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does Quentin mean?
Quentin means 'fifth,' from the Latin Quintinus, a diminutive of the Roman numeral name Quintus.
Why did Romans name children by number?
Roman families often named sons by birth order, producing names such as Quintus, Sextus, Septimus and Decimus for the fifth through tenth.
How is Quentin pronounced?
In English it is KWEN-tin. The French pronunciation is closer to kahn-TAN with a nasal ending.