Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. /ˈklau̯.di.us/(Latin) /ˈklɔː.di.əs/(English)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

From a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled". This was the name of a patrician family prominent in Roman politics. The ancestor of the family was said to have been a 6th-century BC Sabine leader named Attius Clausus, who adopted the name Appius Claudius upon becoming a Roman citizen. The family produced several Roman emperors of the 1st century, including the emperor known simply as Claudius (birth name Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus). He was poisoned by his wife Agrippina in order to bring her son Nero (Claudius's stepson) to power.

This name was later borne by several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Besançon. It is also the name of the primary antagonist in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (1600).

Related Names

Feminine FormClaudia
Other Languages & CulturesKlaudio(Croatian) Claude, Claud(English) Claude(French) Claudio(Italian) Klaudijs(Latvian) Klaudiusz(Polish) Cláudio, Claudinho(Portuguese) Claudiu(Romanian) Claudio(Spanish)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   urban   strong   refined   strange   complex   serious  

Images

Bronze head of emperor ClaudiusBronze head of emperor Claudius

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Entry updated June 9, 2023