Gallus (cognomen)

For other uses, see Gallus (disambiguation).

Gallus was an ancient Roman cognomen.

Meanings of the word

In Latin, the word Gallus had at least three distinct meanings:

• Gallus referred to an inhabitant of Gaul, to a Celtic-speaking person, or to a person perceived as ethnically or culturally Celtic.
• The Galli were the priests of Cybele, whom the Romans found notable for their self-castration as an act of religious devotion.
• Gallus was also the word for rooster, and later through a pun became a symbol of France (ancient Gaul).

People named Gallus

Individuals with the cognomen include:

• Quintus Roscius Gallus (c. 126–62 BC), Roman actor
• Gaius Asinius Gallus (d. 33), Roman consul
• Lucius Afinius Gallus (fl. 62), Roman consul
• Gaius Cornelius Gallus (69–26 BC), first Roman governor of Egypt, writer of elegiac verse
• Cestius Gallus (d. 67), Roman legate
• Trebonianus Gallus (206–253), Roman emperor (251–253)
• Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus (ca. 325/326–354), member of the Constantinian dynasty and Caesar of the Roman Empire (351–354)
• Constantius Gallus (d. 354), cousin of Emperor Constantius II

See also

• Saint Gall (Saint Gallus), 7th century