Year · 20th century
1950 in Roman numerals
1950 is written MCML
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 MCML 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.
- Ltens · 5L is 50.
1,000 + 900 + 50 = 1,950
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 MLM. It looks like a shortcut, but L is never written before a larger letter to subtract. The correct form is MCML.
- Not MDCCCCL (7 letters). That adds everything up without subtraction. The Romans sometimes wrote numbers this way, and clocks still show 4 as IIII, but today MCML (4 letters) is the standard.
- There's no letter for zero. The zero is simply left out, which is why 1950 has 3 parts, not 4.
1950 for a tattoo or engraving
- Shortened to two digits ('50), it's L. Many date tattoos use this shorter form.
- MCML has 4 letters. 178 of the 201 years from 1900 to 2100 are longer.
- 1950 was not a leap year (365 days), and 1 January 1950 was a Sunday.
See MCML in tattoo lettering
MCML 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 1950
Within the 1950s, every year starts MCML (1,950).
Every year from 1946 to 1954 starts MCM (1,900); only the ending changes.
| Number | Roman numeral |
|---|---|
| 1946 | MCMXLVI |
| 1947 | MCMXLVII |
| 1948 | MCMXLVIII |
| 1949 | MCMXLIX |
| 1950 | MCML |
| 1951 | MCMLI |
| 1952 | MCMLII |
| 1953 | MCMLIII |
| 1954 | MCMLIV |