Why is November named November?

November is the eleventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It has 30 days and is the ninth month with this number of days. November retained its name (from the Latin novem meaning “nine”) when January and February were added to the Roman calendar.

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What does the name November mean?

The name November comes from the Latin word novem, meaning nine. This traces back to the early Roman calendar, which only had 10 months. November was the ninth month in this calendar. Originally, the calendar had 304 days divided into 10 months as follows:

Month	Days
March	31
April	30
May	31
June	30
Quintilis (later July)	31
Sextilis (later August)	30
September	30
October	31
November	30
December	30

When January and February were eventually added to the calendar, November retained its name but shifted position to become the eleventh month instead of the ninth.

When did November become the eleventh month?

The early Roman calendar only had 10 months, starting with March. November was originally the ninth month. Around 700 BC, January and February were added to the calendar, shifting the other months back by two places. Despite this, November kept its name derived from the Latin “novem” meaning nine.

Here are some key dates in the evolution of the calendar:

750 BC – Roman calendar introduced with 10 months and 304 days.
700 BC – January and February added, making November the eleventh month.
46 BC – The Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar with a leap year.

1582 – Gregorian calendar introduced to fix issues with leap years.

So November has been the eleventh month for over 2700 years since January and February were added to the early Roman calendar around 700 BC.

Why didn’t November change to Undember or Duodecember?

When January and February were added to the Roman calendar, the months September through December no longer aligned with their numerical prefixes (septem = 7, octo = 8, novem = 9, decem = 10).

Some people wonder why the months weren’t all renamed to match their new position. September could have become Undecember, October become Duodecember, November become Undecember, and December become Duodecember. However, the ancient Romans decided to keep the existing month names even though they no longer lined up numerically.

There are a few possible reasons why the months retained their original names:

The original month names held cultural and religious significance.

It would have been confusing to change the established names people were accustomed to.
The prefixes had meanings beyond just numbers, like “septem” for seven also meant sacred.
The numbering no longer matched other aspects either, like number of days.

So while it may seem logical in hindsight to rename them, at the time it made sense to maintain the original month names even with the new January and February additions.

How did the length of November change over time?

When November was first established in the early Roman calendar around 750 BC, it had 30 days. This remained the case until a calendar reform by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.

Here are the major reforms to November’s length over time:

750 BC – Early Roman calendar established with 30 days in November.
700 BC – Still 30 days after January and February added.
46 BC – Julian calendar reforms November to have 29 days in leap years.

1582 – Gregorian calendar further reforms leap year rules.

So November started with just 30 days in the original Roman calendar. The Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar established a leap year day, making November 29 days long in leap years. The Gregorian calendar modified the leap year rules, but did not further change the length of November.

How many days are in November?

November has 30 days, except for in leap years when it has 29 days. Leap years add an extra day to February, so November loses a day to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons.

Here is a breakdown of how many days November has:

In common years, November has 30 days.
In leap years, November has 29 days.

The last November with 29 days was 2020.
The next November with 29 days will be 2024.

So every four years in leap years, November shifts from having 30 days to having 29 days. This has been the case since the introduction of leap years to keep the calendar aligned with Earth’s revolutions around the sun.

What is the origin of the name November?

November is derived from the Latin word “novem” meaning nine. When the Roman calendar only had 10 months, November was the ninth month. Its name comes from the Latin word for nine.

Here is how the name evolved over time:

750 BC – Roman calendar established with a month called November.

700 BC – Still called November after January and February added.
753 AD – Romans began calling it November in Latin.
1300s AD – November introduced to English language.

The term November has been used to refer to the eleventh month for over 2000 years. Even after it shifted from being the ninth month, it retained its Latin name based on the root “novem.”

What are other facts about November?

Here are some additional interesting facts about the month of November:

November’s birthstone is topaz or citrine.

November’s birth flowers are the chrysanthemum and peony.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in November in the U.S.
Veterans Day is commemorated in November.

November ends on the 30th day most years because it has 30 days.
The zodiac signs in November are Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21) and Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21).
November is part of the fall or autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere.

So November marks the transition from fall into early winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also associated with holidays like Thanksgiving and Veterans Day in the United States.

Conclusion

In summary, November gets its name from the Latin term “novem” meaning nine, tracing back to the early Roman calendar when it was the ninth month. Even after January and February were added, November retained its name. The month has 30 days except for leap years when it shifts to 29 days to keep the calendar aligned. November marks the start of winter for the Northern Hemisphere and has several cultural associations and holidays.