Have you ever wondered where month names come from?

In this column, Culture Vannin’s Manx language development officer, Ruth Keggin Gell, explores month names in English and Manx, and finds out what they can tell us about the history and culture of the British Isles.

Most people know that month names in English come directly from Roman times and reflect the 400-year long Roman occupation of England and Wales.

Originally, the Roman calendar only had 10 months, beginning with March and ending with December; January and February were devised at a later date.

Some of the Roman months were named after gods, such as January, which is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. March, May and June are also linked to Roman gods – Mars, Maia and Juno.

Other months mark rituals, or honour notable Romans – such as July and August, named after Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.

Lastly, September, October, November and December come from the Latin numbers for seven, eight, nine and 10, marking their original position in the calendar.

As Romans never settled in the Isle of Man, it’s unsurprising that Manx month names bear no resemblance to the Roman calendar. Instead, they are strongly linked to Celtic customs and seasons.

In the Manx calendar, Spring is divided into the months of February, March, and April, and the names reflect this; they literally mean ‘Start of Spring’, ‘Middle of Spring’ and ‘End of Spring’.

While some people scoff at February being considered ‘Spring’, this is when the days begin to lengthen, there’s freshness in the air and new life starts to emerge.

May marks the beginning of summer. In Manx, this is known as Boaldyn, and is linked to the Celtic festival of Beltane, which celebrates the start of summer, and the close of winter.

June is considered the middle month of summer – linked to the summer solstice – before we move into July: the end of summer.

August, September and October are the autumn or harvest months; I always think the weather can often feel a little ‘back end-ish’ come August!

August is known as Luanistyn, and the name is linked to Lugh, a pagan god from Irish mythology, again showing our cultural and linguistic ties with Ireland.

Lastly, the winter months in the Manx calendar are November, December and January. November is commonly known as Mee Houney, and is related to the festival Samhain which marks the start of winter and which we link to Hop tu Naa.

Just as for Manx, the months in Irish and Scottish Gaelic also reflect the natural world, farming, and festivals, rather than any Roman influence; Romans never conquered Ireland, and only managed to settle in Scotland for a few decades.

The months in the Welsh and Cornish languages, however, are more aligned with the Roman calendar, displaying the influence of Roman settlers in these nations.

To find out more about Manx month names and how to pronounce them, you can visit https://www.learnmanx.com/

Also, why not get involved with the Year of the Manx Language, taking place throughout 2026? To find out more, visit https://yearofmanx.im/