Ammianus

Attested mainly after the 4th-century, Italy was very rare, and the characters who carried it were generally of Greek origin. The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. The theories include: 1) Some sources consider it a patronymic referred to the Latin name Ammia, but an etymology still unclear. 2) Other sources hypothesize a connection with the Greek “ammìa (αμμία),” a Greek pet form of “mamá (μαμά),” meaning “mom.” Ammianus Marcellinus (~325/330–391/400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate primary historical account surviving from Antiquity (preceding Procopius).