Fabian (name)

Fabian is the English form of the late Roman name Fabianus. This was the name given to freed (emancipated) slaves which originally belonged to a Roman family with the family (gens=clan) name Fabius, that derived from the Latin faba for the broad bean, an important food crop in the Roman Empire. It entered the English language with the Normans, but has never achieved the popularity of Fabien in France, Fabio or Fabiano in Italy and Fabián in Spain.