List of Roman gentes

The gens (plural gentes) was a Roman family, of Italic or Etruscan origins, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. It was an important social and legal structure in early Roman history.^[1]^[2]

The distinguishing characteristic of a gens was the nomen gentilicium, or gentile name. Every member of a gens, whether by birth or adoption, bore this name. All nomina were based on other nouns, such as personal names, occupations, physical characteristics or behaviors, or locations. Consequently, most of them ended with the adjectival termination -ius (-ia in the feminine form).^[1]

Nomina ending in -aius, -eius, -eus, and -aeus are typical of Latin families. Faliscan gentes frequently had nomina ending in -ios, while Samnite and other Oscan-speaking peoples of southern Italy had nomina ending in -iis. Umbrian nomina typically end in -as, -anas, -enas, or -inas, while nomina ending in -arna, -erna, -ena, -enna, -ina, or -inna are characteristic of Etruscan families.^[1]

The word gens is feminine, and the name of a gens was also feminine. Marcus Valerius Corvus was a member of gens Valeria. Valerius was his nomen. His son's nomen would have been Valerius, and his daughter's Valeria. Male members of his gens were collectively called Valerii, and female members Valeriae. If a member of the gens were adopted into another family, he would assume the nomen of that gens, followed by the cognomen Valerianus.^[2]

In the following list, "I" and "J" are treated as separate letters, as are "U" and "V". The letter "K" was rare in Latin, and the few nomina occasionally spelled with this letter were usually spelled with "C". No Roman gentes began with "X", and the letters "Y" and "Z" occurred only in names borrowed from Greek. The letter "W" did not exist in Classical Latin.

Babria
Baebia
Balonia
Balventia
Bantia
Barbatia
Barria
Bavia
Bellia
Bellicia
Belliena
Betiliena
Betitia
Betua
Betucia
Blandia
Blossia
Boionia
Bruttia
Bucculeia
Burbuleia
Burriena

Decia
Decidia
Decimia
Dellia
Desticia
Dexsia
Didia
Digitia
Dillia
Domitia
Duccia
Duilia
Durmia
Duronia

Eggia
Egilia
Egnatia
Egnatuleia
Egrilia
Elvia
Ennia
Epidia
Eppia
Equitia
Erucia

Fabia
Fabricia
Fadena
Fadia
Faenia
Falcidia
Faleria
Faminia
Fannia
Farsuleia
Faucia
Favonia
Festinia
Fidiculania
Firmia
Flaminia
Flavia
Flavinia
Flavoleia
Flavonia
Floria
Floridia
Floronia
Fonteia
Foslia
Fufia
Fuficia
Fufidia
Fulcinia
Fulginatia
Fulvia
Fundania
Furia
Furnia

Maccia
Macrinia
Maecenatia
Maecia
Maecilia
Maelia
Maenatia
Maenia
Maevia
Magia
Mallia
Mamercia
Mamilia
Manilia
Manlia
Marcia
Maria
Martinia
Matia
Matiena
Matinia
Matrinia
Maximia
Memmia
Menenia
Menia
Mescinia
Messia
Messiena
Mestria
Metilia
Mettia
Milonia
Mimesia
Minatia
Minia
Minicia
Minidia
Minucia
Modia
Mucia
Mummia
Munatia
Munia
Murria
Mussidia
Mustia
Mutia
Mutilia

Valeria
Valentia
Valgia
Vallia
Vannia
Varena
Vargunteia
Varia
Varinia
Varisidia
Vatinia
Vatronia
Vecilia
Vedia
Velia
Velleia
Venafrania
Ventidia
Venuleia
Vequasia
Verania
Verecundia
Vergilia
Verginia
Verres
Verria
Vesnia
Vesonia
Vestoria
Vestricia
Vetilia
Vettia
Veturia
Vibenia
Vibia
Vibidia
Vibullia
Viciria
Victoria
Victorinia
Victricia
Viducia
Vigilia
Villia
Vinia
Vinicia
Vipsania
Vipstana
Viria
Viridia
Visellia
Vistilia
Vitellia
Vitrasia
Vitruvia
Voconia
Volcacia
Volturcia
Volumnia
Volusena
Volusenna
Volusia
Vorenia
Vulia

[1]
Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, Second Edition, Harry Thurston Peck, Editor (1897)
[2]
Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2nd Ed. (1970)

[hdca-1] [1]
Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, Second Edition, Harry Thurston Peck, Editor (1897)

[oxford-2] [2]
Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2nd Ed. (1970)

[1]

[2]

List of Roman gentes

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List of Roman gentes

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

See also

References