[1][2] Throughout Roman history, Quintus was one of the most common praenomina, generally occupying fourth or fifth place, behind Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus, and occurring about as frequently as Publius.
The name continued to be used after the collapse of Roman civil institutions in the fifth and sixth centuries, and has survived to the present day.
[1][3] Quintus is the Latin word for "fifth", and it falls into a class of similar praenomina including the masculine names Sextus, Septimus, Octavius, Nonus, and Decimus, as well as the feminine names Prima, Secunda, Tertia, Quarta, Sexta, Septima, Octavia, Nona, and Decima.
However, it has also been argued that Quintus and the other praenomina of this type could refer to the month of the year in which a child was born.
[4] The Oscan cognate of Quintus was Pompo,[Note 1] a name best known from the father of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome.