Proculus is a Latin praenomen, or personal name, which was most common during the early centuries of the Roman Republic.
It gave rise to the patronymic gentes Proculeia and Procilia, and later became a common cognomen, or surname.
Those known to have used it included the Betutii, Geganii, Julii, Sertorii, and Verginii; and naturally Proculus must once have been used by the ancestors of the gentes Proculeia and Procilia.
[7] Chase believes that this is a false etymology, and points out that the praenomen appears to be a diminutive of another word, such as procus.
The usual translation of this word is "suitor", but Festus also mentions that procus was an archaic form of procer, a prince.