Year · 20th century
1960 in Roman numerals
1960 is written MCMLX
Type any other number or numeral below to convert it.
Above 3,999? Type the barred part in brackets, e.g. (IV)CC = 4,200.
How MCMLX is built
Roman numerals are written one decimal place at a time, largest first.
- Mthousands · 1M is 1,000.
- CMhundreds · 9C before M means 1,000 − 100 = 900. This saves writing DCCCC.
- LXtens · 6L (50) plus X (10) makes 60.
1,000 + 900 + 60 = 1,960
The pair CM uses subtraction: a smaller letter before a larger one is taken away from it. Only six pairs work this way: IV, IX, XL, XC, CD and CM. More on subtraction
Mistakes to avoid
- Not MLMX. It looks like a shortcut, but L is never written before a larger letter to subtract. The correct form is MCMLX.
- Not MDCCCCLX (8 letters). That adds everything up without subtraction. The Romans sometimes wrote numbers this way, and clocks still show 4 as IIII, but today MCMLX (5 letters) is the standard.
- There's no letter for zero. The zero is simply left out, which is why 1960 has 3 parts, not 4.
1960 for a tattoo or engraving
- Shortened to two digits ('60), it's LX. Many date tattoos use this shorter form.
- MCMLX has 5 letters. 146 of the 201 years from 1900 to 2100 are longer.
- 1960 was a leap year, with 366 days, and 1 January 1960 was a Friday.
See MCMLX in tattoo lettering
MCMLX in ten open-source fonts, on your skin tone, ready to download or print as a stencil.
PNG downloads are 3000 px with a transparent background. SVG downloads keep the lettering as outlines, so they look the same in any app. All fonts are open source (SIL Open Font Licence) and free to use for tattoos and products. See the font credits.
Years around 1960
Within the 1960s, every year starts MCMLX (1,960).
Every year from 1956 to 1964 starts MCML (1,950); only the ending changes.
| Number | Roman numeral |
|---|---|
| 1956 | MCMLVI |
| 1957 | MCMLVII |
| 1958 | MCMLVIII |
| 1959 | MCMLIX |
| 1960 | MCMLX |
| 1961 | MCMLXI |
| 1962 | MCMLXII |
| 1963 | MCMLXIII |
| 1964 | MCMLXIV |