Orbia (gens)


The gens Orbia was a minor plebeian family at Rome. No members of this gens are known to have held any magistracies, but many of them are known from inscriptions. The most illustrious of the family may have been the jurist Publius Orbius, a contemporary of Cicero.

Origin

The nomen Orbius is derived from the cognomen Orbus, a waif or orphan. It is the cognate of the Sabine or Oscan nomen Orfia. At least two other gentilicia are derived from Orbius using different suffixes: Orbilius using the diminutive suffix -ilius, and Orbicius using the suffix -icius.

Praenomina

The Orbii used a wide variety of praenomina, of which the most important were Marcus and Lucius. The family also used Publius and Titus, and there are few examples of Gaius, Aulus, and Quintus. All of these were very common names throughout Roman history. There is also a single instance of Decimus, a much less common name.

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