Spuria gens


The gens Spuria was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens occur in ancient writers, but many are known from inscriptions. Although at least some were of equestrian rank, and a number of Spurii held public offices in the various municipia, the most illustrious person of this name may have been Lucius Spurius Maximus, a tribune of the Vigiles at Rome during the reign of Septimius Severus.

Origin

The nomen Spurius is a patronymic surname derived from the praenomen Spurius, without a change in morphology. The original meaning of the praenomen is unclear; it was fairly common in the early Republic, and favoured in many prominent families, but grew less abundant over time, becoming rare by imperial times, probably due to its association with the adjective spurius, meaning "illegitimate". An Etruscan origin has been proposed, in which the name might have meant something akin to "city dweller", and been synonymous with the Latin praenomen Publius. Although the praenomen eventually vanished into obscurity, as a gentilicium, Spurius remained common throughout the centuries of the empire.

Praenomina

The main praenomina of the Spurii were Lucius and Gaius, the two most common names throughout Roman history. To a lesser degree, they used a variety of other common praenomina, including Marcus, Quintus, Aulus, and Sextus. Among the more unusual praenomina they used was the Oscan name Ovius, known from the filiation of one of the Spurii at Puteoli in Campania.

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