2020 in Roman Numerals
2020 is MMXX. Two thousands and two tens, with nothing in the units. One of the neatest recent years to engrave or tattoo.
How MMXX is formed
M + M + X + X = 1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10 = 2020.
Where MMXX is used
A year numeral turns up in different places from a bare number. These are the four that send people looking for MMXX.
- Date tattoos and engravings. A year-only piece is just MMXX, and a full date stacks the day and month above it. MMXX is 4 characters long, which matters more than people expect: it sets how wide the bottom line of a stacked date will sit.
- Copyright lines in credits. Film and television end credits have long set the copyright year in Roman numerals, so a production from 2020 carries MMXX on its end card. If you are reading a numeral off a title sequence rather than writing one, this is usually the one you have found.
- Cornerstones and dedications. Buildings, monuments and foundation stones carry their year in numerals, which is why MMXX turns up carved rather than typed. Every year between 2000 and 2099 opens with MM, so on a datestone it is the letters after MM that tell you which year you are actually looking at.
- Anniversaries. In 2026, a date from 2020 is 6 years old, so MMXX is the numeral for a 6th anniversary this year. Wedding and birth years are the two most common reasons to want MMXX written correctly.
2020 in history
2020 is remembered as the year the Tokyo Olympics were postponed and daily life moved online across much of the world.
Convert another year or number
2020 is written MMXX in Roman numerals.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the year 2020 in Roman numerals?
The year 2020 is written MMXX. Reading left to right that is M (1000) + M (1000) + X (10) + X (10), added together to reach 2020.
What happened in 2020?
2020 is remembered as the year the Tokyo Olympics were postponed and daily life moved online across much of the world. Written as a Roman numeral, 2020 is MMXX, which is the form you will see it carved or inked.
Why does MMXX start with MM?
MM is the numeral for 2000, and every year from 2000 to 2099 opens with it. The letters after it, XX, carry the remaining 20.
How do you write 2020 for a tattoo?
The correct form is MMXX. For a vertical piece the same letters are simply stacked, and for a full date the day and month sit above the year on their own lines. Keeping the spelling standard means a tattoo artist can copy it directly.
Years people look up next
The decade anchors either side of 2020, its immediate neighbours, and the quarter and half century marks that anniversaries land on.