Gender Masculine
Usage Late Roman
Meaning & History
Roman nomen gentile which was probably derived from Latin carminum "song, poem", which is a Late Latin form of carmen "song, poem" (see also Carmen). Improbable is a derivation from Latin carminus, which is the shortened form of carmesinus (a corruption of cremesinus, the latinized form of Arabic qermez "red"). That is because that particular word stems from medieval Latin, while many bearers predate medieval Latin times. Finally, the name Carminius was borne by several Roman consuls.