"Homo sapiens" is Latin for "wise man," but there were many Hominin species who possessed comparative culture, art, and intelligence. Neanderthals actually had larger brains compared to modern humans[0]. There are many theories on why Neanderthals became extinct[1]; my favorite is that we simply outbred them because of our sex appeal. What is Latin for "sexy human?"
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal#Anatomy
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal_extinction