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October is the 10th month, so why does it contain "8"?
The names of our months still carry traces of an old Roman year that began in March
October is the tenth month of the year. Yet the first part of its name, octo, means "eight" in Latin. A tenth month carries the number eight because the very oldest Roman calendar began not in January but in March.
A Roman year that began in March
According to tradition, the oldest Roman calendar had only ten months, running from March to December. The first month, March, was named after Mars, the god of war.
From the fifth month on, the months were named with numbers: September from seven, October from eight, November from nine and December from ten. In that order, October was exactly the eighth month. Some accounts say the rest of winter passed without any named months, but records are scarce and even scholars are not certain.
How January moved to the front
It is unclear when January and February were added, but the year 153 BC is often cited as the point when January 1 became fixed as New Year's Day. From that year, Rome's highest officials, the consuls, took office on January 1 instead of March 15.
The usual explanation is that a rebellion broke out in what is now Spain, and the Senate moved the start date forward so the new consul could lead his army out as soon as possible. Only the order changed while the names stayed, so October, meaning eight, became the tenth month.
The myth that July and August were inserted
A common misconception is that Julius Caesar and Augustus inserted new months named after themselves, pushing the later months back by two places. In fact, they renamed existing months, the fifth month Quintilis and the sixth month Sextilis, so the number and order of months stayed the same.
July honors Caesar and August honors Augustus. Like October, these two months also started out with number names, "five" and "six."
An easy way to remember English month names
Korean calls the months by numbers, such as 1월 (irwol, January) and 2월 (iwol, February), so names and order never clash. Still, knowing this history helps when memorizing the English month names.
From September to December, add two to the number hidden in the name to get the actual month. September, from seven, is the 9th month; October, from eight, is the 10th; November, from nine, is the 11th; and December, from ten, is the 12th. It is a handy trick when a calendar gets confusing.
October is the name of the eighth month of a Roman calendar that began its year in March, surviving to this day with only its position changed.
Notes and references · Encyclopaedia Romana, "Ab urbe condita" (University of Chicago). Explains that from 153 BC consuls took office on January 1, prompted by a rebellion in Spain. The oldest ten-month calendar and when January and February were added rely on tradition, and scholars disagree.
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