* This conversion calculator should be used for information purposes only.
Table of Contents
Numbers to Roman Numerals
Roman numerals are still everywhere in modern life — chapter headings, monarch and pope numbering, Super Bowls, copyright dates on films, watch faces, building cornerstones, and tattoos commemorating birth years and anniversaries.
This converter takes any whole number from 1 to 3999 and returns its Roman numeral form using the seven standard symbols: I, V, X, L, C, D, and M.
How Roman numerals work
Roman numerals are built from seven letters of the Latin alphabet, each with a fixed value:
- I = 1
- V = 5
- X = 10
- L = 50
- C = 100
- D = 500
- M = 1000
You write a number by combining these symbols, generally from largest to smallest, adding their values together. For example, MMXXIII = 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 + 3 = 2023.
Subtractive notation
To avoid writing four of the same symbol in a row (like IIII), Roman numerals use subtractive pairs. When a smaller numeral appears before a larger one, you subtract instead of add:
- IV = 4 (5 - 1)
- IX = 9 (10 - 1)
- XL = 40 (50 - 10)
- XC = 90 (100 - 10)
- CD = 400 (500 - 100)
- CM = 900 (1000 - 100)
So 1994 = MCMXCIV = M (1000) + CM (900) + XC (90) + IV (4).
Why the limit of 3999?
The standard Roman numeral system caps out at 3999 (MMMCMXCIX) because the next number, 4000, would require four M's in a row — which the subtractive rule disallows. Larger numbers existed (using overlines or other extensions) but were rarely used. This converter sticks to the standard 1–3999 range.
Common years in Roman numerals
For tattoos, copyright notices, or dates on monuments, the most-searched values are usually years. Here are some examples:
- 1900 = MCM
- 1950 = MCML
- 1980 = MCMLXXX
- 1990 = MCMXC
- 2000 = MM
- 2010 = MMX
- 2020 = MMXX
- 2024 = MMXXIV
- 2025 = MMXXV
- 2026 = MMXXVI
Roman numerals 1 to 100
Counting by ones from 1 to 10:
I (1), II (2), III (3), IV (4), V (5), VI (6), VII (7), VIII (8), IX (9), X (10).
Counting by tens from 10 to 100:
X (10), XX (20), XXX (30), XL (40), L (50), LX (60), LXX (70), LXXX (80), XC (90), C (100).
Where you still see Roman numerals
- Movie copyright dates (MCMXCIX = 1999)
- Super Bowl numbering (Super Bowl LIX = 59)
- Monarchs and popes (Henry VIII, Pope John Paul II)
- Clock and watch faces
- Book chapter and section headings
- Tattoos commemorating dates
- Building cornerstones and inscriptions
Going the other way
If you have a Roman numeral and want to know what number it represents, use our Roman numerals to numbers converter.