Secundia gens


The gens Secundia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. This gens is known almost entirely from inscriptions, as none of its members held any of the higher offices of the Roman state.

Origin

The nomen Secundius is derived from the cognomen Secundus, originally indicating a second child. The name was probably an old praenomen, but if so the masculine form had fallen out of use by historical times, and is not found as a praenomen under the Republic. The feminine form, Secunda, was used by Roman women as both a praenomen and a cognomen.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Secundii were Gaius, Marcus, Lucius, and Titus, all of which were amongst the most common names throughout all periods of Roman history. Other names were used occasionally, including the common praenomina Quintus and Sextus.

Branches and cognomina

There is no indication that the Secundii were ever divided into distinct families, and they used a wide variety of surnames under the Empire. A number of them bore cognomina derived, like their gentilicium, from numerals, including Primus and its diminutive, Primulus, Secundinus, a derivative of Secundus, and Tertius, third, all presumably alluding to the meaning of their nomen. Quadratus, while resembling the numerical cognomen quartus, actually described someone with a square or stocky figure.

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