Naming conventions for women in ancient Rome differed from nomenclature for men, and practice changed dramatically from the Early Republic to the High Empire and then into Late Antiquity. Females were identified officially by the feminine of the family name ("nomen gentile", that is, the "gens" name), which might be further differentiated by the genitive form of the father's "cognomen", or for a married woman her husband's. Numerical adjectives might distinguish among sisters, such as "Tertia", "the Third" (compare Generational titles in English names). By the late Republic, women also often adopted the feminine of their father's "cognomen".