Caesar m. Latin Caesar, a Roman cognomen of uncertain origin. Pliny the Elder derives the name from caedere 'to cut', referring to an ancestor who was born by caesarean section. Three folk etymologies are offered in the late Antique Historia Augusta: Latin caesariēs 'hair'; Latin oculis caesiis 'grey eyes'; and Moorish caesai 'elephant'.
Caesar became a title used by Roman and Byzantine emperors; the use of the word as a given name often reflects either this, or the popularity of Julius Caesar, the first to use the title.