Year · 20th century
1955 in Roman numerals
1955 is written MCMLV
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 MCMLV 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.
- Vones · 5V is 5.
1,000 + 900 + 50 + 5 = 1,955
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 MLMV. It looks like a shortcut, but L is never written before a larger letter to subtract. The correct form is MCMLV.
- Not MDCCCCLV (8 letters). That adds everything up without subtraction. The Romans sometimes wrote numbers this way, and clocks still show 4 as IIII, but today MCMLV (5 letters) is the standard.
1955 for a tattoo or engraving
- Shortened to two digits ('55), it's LV. Many date tattoos use this shorter form.
- MCMLV has 5 letters. 146 of the 201 years from 1900 to 2100 are longer.
- 1955 was not a leap year (365 days), and 1 January 1955 was a Saturday.
See MCMLV in tattoo lettering
MCMLV 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 1955
Within the 1950s, every year starts MCML (1,950).
Every year from 1951 to 1959 starts MCML (1,950); only the ending changes.
| Number | Roman numeral |
|---|---|
| 1951 | MCMLI |
| 1952 | MCMLII |
| 1953 | MCMLIII |
| 1954 | MCMLIV |
| 1955 | MCMLV |
| 1956 | MCMLVI |
| 1957 | MCMLVII |
| 1958 | MCMLVIII |
| 1959 | MCMLIX |