Numbers

Records written in Italian contain two main types of numbers used to express figures and dates. The first group of numbers used in these records is the set of Roman numerals. Even though they may show some variations from the ones still used today, they are also usually easy to read. The researcher must be aware of the common use of some lowercase letters to represent Roman numerals, for example, iii instead of III.

It is recommended a researcher check other records written by the same scribe to ensure the correct reading of a particular number. The chart of roman numerals to the right is also helpful while gaining a familiarity with the different styles in which they can appear.

Some of the older documents you look at may use the following symbol:

This "U" like character signifies the space between the thousands place and the hundreds place.

Portuguese-Tools-Numbers/Roman-Numeral-Example

For example:
or "1 U DXCI" would be 1591.

Before the "U," the scribe may place a "1" instead of an "M" (such as with our 1591 example.)

The second and most relevant types of numbers are Arabic numerals, which are the most widely used today. These are usually easy to read, but some are sometimes confusing because their shape could be similar to other numbers, such as 1 and 7 or 5 and 9.

When dating documents, most records will use cardinal numerals or ordinal numerals; however, it is not uncommon for documents that use a mixture of all four kinds of number systems. Below is a basic guide to numbers you may encounter in Italian records:

Arabic	Roman	Cardinal	Ordinal
0	nūllus	zero	-
1	I	uno^m/una^f	primo
2	II	due	secondo
3	III	tre	terzo
4	IV	quattro	quarto
5	V	cinque	quinto
6	VI	sei	sesto
7	VII	sette	settimo
8	VIII	otto	ottavo
9	IX	nove	nono
10	X	dieci	decimo
11	XI	undici	undicesimo
12	XII	dodici	dodicesimo
13	XIII	tredici	tredicesimo
14	XIV	quattordici	quattordicesimo
15	XV	quindici	quindicesimo
16	XVI	sedici	sedicesimo
17	XVII	diciassette	diciassettesimo
18	XVIII	diciotto	diciottesimo
19	XIX	diciannove	diciannovesimo
20	XX	venti	ventesimo
21	XXI	ventuno	ventunesimo
22	XXII	ventidue	ventiduesimo
23	XXIII	ventitré	ventitreesimo
30	XXX	trenta	trentesimo
31	XXX1	trentuno	trentunesima
32	XXII	trentadue	trenta secondi
33	XXXIII	trentatre	trentatreesimo
40	XXXX	quaranta	quarantesimo
50	L	cinquanta	cinquantesimo
60	LX	sessanta	sessantesimo
70	LXX	settanta	settantesimo
80	LXXX	ottanta	ottantesimo
90	XC	novanta	novantesimo
100	C	cento	centesimo
1,000	M	mille	millesimo

Numbers

Arabic

Roman

Cardinal

Ordinal