Renamed from 'Quintilis' in 44 BCE to honor Julius Caesar — the first calendar month named for a human.
The seventh month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars, consisting of 31 days.
From Latin 'Iūlius,' renamed in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar after his assassination in 44 BCE. The month was previously called 'Quīntīlis' (the fifth month), counting from the original March start of the Roman year. The renaming was proposed by Mark Antony and ratified by the Senate, making July the first month to be named after a historical person rather than a deity. Caesar's birth month was chosen because
Before being renamed for Caesar, July was called Quintilis — 'the fifth month' — because it was the fifth month in the original March-starting Roman calendar. Caesar also reformed the calendar itself in 46 BCE, creating the Julian calendar that lasted 1,600 years until the Gregorian reform of 1582.