The name "Octavian"

[Jona Lendering]

So it is very normal to have such an -anus - name since republican time and not invention of Shakespeare or late roman time or Aurelius Victor or whatever. Just Octavian didn´t use his name in practise to show he is legitimated son of Caesar BUT formally it was like this:

1. Caius Octavius
2. (Adoption Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus,
but he doesn´use, so Caius Iulius Caesar (Octavianus) and then
Imperator Caesar Divi Filius and later also Augustus.

I think the Roman naming system was never that formal; Aemilianus chose to use the name of his original family, Octavian chose not to do so. Both were possible. I think the one who was irregular, was Aemilianus; how many other examples were there?