The Name Origin / Meaning of English Month

Janus

1. January: named after Janus, the god of doors and gates.
2. February: named after Februalia, a time period when sacrifices were made to atone for sins.
3. March: named after Mars, the god of war.
4. April: from aperire, Latin for “to open” (buds).
5. May: named after Maia, the goddess of growth of plants.
6. June: from junius, Latin for the goddess Juno.
7. July: named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
8. August: named after Augustus Caesar in 8 B.C.
9. September: from septem, Latin for “seven”.
10. October: from octo, Latin for “eight”.
11. November: from novem, Latin for “nine”
12. December: from decem, Latin for “ten”.


NOTE: The earliest calendar was a 10- month one, beginning with March; thus, September was the seventh month, October, the eighth, etc. July was originally called Quintilis meaning fifth; August was originally called Sextilis, meaning sixth.