Quick answer
Claudius is a boy name meaning "lame, crippled".
Pronunciation: Latin /ˈklau̯.di.us/; English /ˈklɔː.di.əs/.
Meaning and history
Roman family name that was possibly derived from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled". This was a patrician family prominent in Roman politics. The ancestor of the family was said to have been a 6th-century BC Sabine leader named Attius Clausus, who adopted the name Appius Claudius upon becoming a Roman citizen. The family produced several Roman emperors of the 1st century, including the emperor known simply as Claudius (birth name Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus). He was poisoned by his wife Agrippina in order to bring her son Nero (Claudius's stepson) to power. This name was later borne by several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Besançon. It is also the name of the primary antagonist in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet (1600).
Notes and context
Usage: ancient roman