Suettia gens


The gens Suettia or Suetia was an obscure plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in the time of Cicero, but none of them achieved any of the higher offices of the Roman state.

Origin

The nomen Suettius is probably derived from the Latin adjective suetus, "familiar". Chase classifies the nomen among those gentilicia that either originated at Rome, or cannot be shown to have come from anywhere else. However, several early inscriptions of this gens are from Campania, and many others are concentrated in the Campanian cities of Casilinum and Pompeii, strongly hinting at a Campanian origin..

Praenomina

The Suettii employed a variety of common praenomina, chiefly Aulus, Gaius, Lucius, Servius, and Sextus. Of these, only Servius was relatively distinctive, although by no means rare. Other praenomina are found on occasion, and in one inscription we find an Anthus Suettius, perhaps an example of a cognomen being used in place of a praenomen, or perhaps an old praenomen more typically found as a surname.

Members