Servia gens
Roman gens
The gens Servia was a minor plebeian family at ancient Rome. Few members of this gens are mentioned in ancient writers, but a number are known from inscriptions.
Origin
The nomen Servius derives from the praenomen Servius, without a change in form; this causes the two names to be easily confused. Chase classifies it among those gentilicia that either originated at Rome, or cannot be shown to have come from anywhere else. The praenomen was probably derived from servare, "to protect" or "keep safe", and presumably the Servii obtained their nomen from an ancestor of this name. Other gentes were derived from the same praenomen using different forms; the most famous was the gens Servilia, prominent throughout Roman history.
Praenomina
The Servii used a variety of praenomina, particularly Lucius, Publius, Manius, Marcus, Gaius, and Numerius. Although the others were very common, Manius was somewhat more distinctive, while Numerius, while widespread, was not particularly common. Other praenomina occur infrequently among the Servii, although Statius appears in a filiation. This praenomen, uncommon at Rome, was widespread in the Oscan-speaking regions of central and southern Italy.
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