What do A.D., B.C., C.E., and B.C.E. stand for?
Years before the birth of Christ are in English traditionally identified using the abbreviation B.C. (“Before Christ”). Years after the birth of Christ are traditionally identified using the Latin abbreviation AD (“Anno Domini”, that is, “In the Year of the Lord”). Some people, who want to avoid the reference to Christ that is implied in these terms, prefer the abbreviations BCE (“Before the Common Era” or “Before the Christian Era”) and CE (“Common Era” or “Christian Era”).
