Laecania (gens)


The gens Laecania or Lecania was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens first appear in history during the reign of Tiberius. The first to attain the consulship was Gaius Laecanius Bassus in AD 40.

Origin

The nomen Laecanius seems to belong to a class of gentilicia formed using the sufix -anius, typically derived from cognomina ending in -anus, or derived from other "a-stem" words. The name might be derived from the surname Laeca, which was used by a family of the Porcia gens, or from the same root.

Branches and cognomina

The only important family of the Laecanii bore the cognomen Bassus, originally indicating someone stout.

Members

Laecanii Bassi