NORFOLK, Va. — Have you ever wondered why September—the ninth month of the year—has a name that literally means “seven”?

The name "September" comes from the Latin word septem , meaning seven. That’s because, in the ancient Roman calendar, September was actually the seventh month of the year. The Roman calendar originally began in March, making the order of months quite different from what we know today.

At that time, there were only ten months in the Roman year. January and February didn’t even exist. It wasn’t until around 713 BC, during the reign of King Numa Pompilius, that January and February were added to the beginning of the calendar. This change pushed all the original months two places forward. As a result, September became the ninth month, but the name—like those of October (ei

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