Egnatia (gens)

The gens Egnatia was a plebeian family of equestrian rank at Rome. Only a few of the Egnatii held any magistracies, of whom the most important may have been Gnaeus Egnatius, who held the praetorship during the second century BC, and served as governor of Macedonia, shortly after its institution as a Roman province.

The Egnatii were of Samnite origin, and at least some of them had settled at Teanum. At the end of the Social War, the greater part of these appear to have removed to Rome, where two of them were admitted into the senate, though a branch of the family seems to have remained at Teanum.

The first of the Egnatii known to history bore the Oscan praenomina Gellius and Marius. The Egnatii who settled at Rome favoured Gnaeus, but also made use of Gaius, Lucius, Marcus, and Publius.

The Egnatii do not seem to have been divided into distinct families during the time of the Republic. Most of the Egnatii bore no cognomen, but individuals are known with the surnames Celer, Maximus, Rufus, and Veratius. Celer means "swift," while Maximus is "great" or "greatest." Rufus, meaning "red," was typically given to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 

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