What was the Roman name for the month of July before it was renamed?

The Roman name for the month that became July was Quintilis. The name comes from the Latin word for “fifth,” because Quintilis was the fifth month in Rome’s earliest ten-month calendar, which began with March.

When the Romans later adopted a twelve-month year, Quintilis became the seventh month, but its old name remained. The month was associated with summer and important agricultural and religious observances, including celebrations connected with Apollo.

After Julius Caesar’s death in 44 BC, the Roman Senate renamed Quintilis Julius in his honour. The Latin name Iulius eventually developed into the English “July.” The choice was especially fitting because Quintilis was Caesar’s birth month. Caesar himself had introduced the Julian calendar reform in 45 BC, but the month renaming followed his assassination.

A common mix-up is Sextilis, the month that followed Quintilis. Sextilis was later renamed Augustus, giving English the name “August.” Thus July honours Julius Caesar, while August honours his adopted heir and successor, Augustus. The names September through December also preserve traces of an older calendar: their names originally referred to the seventh through tenth months.