How to convert a date to Roman numerals
- Pick the Month and type the Day and Year.
- Choose a Separator: Dot, Bullet, Middle dot, Hyphen, Slash or Space.
- If you only want the last two digits of the year, switch on Last two digits only.
- Read the results. You get four versions:
- Month, day, year (US)
- Day, month, year (UK, Europe, India)
- Year, month, day
- Year only
- Press Copy next to the one you want.
Below the results, a line breaks the date down part by part, for example “VII = 7 (month), IV = 4 (day), MDCCLXXVI = 1776 (year)”. Use it to check each piece before you print, engrave or tattoo anything.
The Numbers and Roman numerals box on the right works both ways. Type a number to see the Roman numeral, or type a Roman numeral to see the number.
Examples
| Date | Order and separator | Roman numerals |
|---|---|---|
| 4 July 1776 | Month, day, year with dots | VII.IV.MDCCLXXVI |
| 4 July 1776 | Day, month, year with dots | IV.VII.MDCCLXXVI |
| 4 July 1776 | Year, month, day with dots | MDCCLXXVI.VII.IV |
| 14 February 2015 | Month, day, year with dots | II.XIV.MMXV |
| 25 December 2020 | Month, day, year with bullets | XII • XXV • MMXX |
| 4 October 2026 | Day, month, year with slashes | IV/X/MMXXVI |
| 30 June 1999 | Day, month, year with spaces | XXX VI MCMXCIX |
| 9 March 2024 | Month, day, short year | III.IX.XXIV |
| 1 January 2000 | Month, day, year with dots | I.I.MM |
And some single numbers:
| Number | Roman numeral |
|---|---|
| 14 | XIV |
| 49 | XLIX |
| 1990 | MCMXC |
| 1994 | MCMXCIV |
| 2000 | MM |
| 2026 | MMXXVI |
| 3999 | MMMCMXCIX |
How Roman numerals work
Seven letters do all the work:
| Letter | I | V | X | L | C | D | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 1 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 100 | 500 | 1000 |
Letters are normally written from largest to smallest and added up, so MDCCLXXVI is 1000 + 500 + 200 + 50 + 20 + 6 = 1776.
To avoid writing the same letter four times, a smaller letter placed before a larger one is subtracted. Only six pairs are used: IV (4), IX (9), XL (40), XC (90), CD (400) and CM (900). That is why 1994 is MCMXCIV and not MDCCCCLXXXXIIII.
The converter follows these standard rules in both directions. If you type a numeral such as IIII or IC into the right hand box, it tells you the numeral is not written in the standard way rather than guessing what you meant. (IIII does appear on some clock faces, but it is not the standard form.)
Tips for tattoos and engravings
- Match the order to the country. A US date and a UK date can produce different numerals for the same day. 4 July becomes VII.IV in US order and IV.VII in UK order.
- Check every part. Read the breakdown line under the results. It is easy to swap the day and month on a date such as 4 October, where both parts are short.
- Choose a separator that suits the design. Dots are the most common. Bullets and middle dots give more space between the parts, and spaces work well when each part goes on its own line.
- Short years need care. 2024 can become XXIV, but a year ending in 00 cannot be shortened because there is no Roman zero.
- Font matters. Some fonts make I and l (lowercase L) look the same. Ask for a font with clear serifs, or one where the I has bars at the top and bottom.
Other ways to convert
Excel and Google Sheets. =ROMAN(2026) returns MMXXVI, and =ARABIC("MMXXVI") returns 2026. For a date in cell A1, =ROMAN(MONTH(A1))&"."&ROMAN(DAY(A1))&"."&ROMAN(YEAR(A1)) builds the US order.
Microsoft Word. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a field, type = 2026 \* ROMAN between the braces and press F9. Word shows MMXXVI. Lowercase \* roman gives mmxxvi.
Code. Most languages have no built-in function, but the method is short: keep a list of values from 1000 down to 1 (including the six subtraction pairs) and keep subtracting the largest value that fits, adding its letters each time.
If you need numbers in words rather than in numerals, the number to words converter writes them out in English, including cheque and currency wording. To put a list of numbers in order, use the number sorter.