Lucretia (gens)

The gens Lucretia was a prominent family of the Roman Republic. Originally patrician, the gens later included a number of plebeian families. The Lucretii were one of the most ancient gentes, and the wife of Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, was named Lucretia. The first of the Lucretii to obtain the consulship was Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus in 509 BC, the first year of the Republic.

The patrician Lucretii favored the praenomina Titus, Spurius, Lucius, and Publius. They were one of the only gentes known to have used the name Hostus, and may also have used Opiter, which was favored by the Verginii.

The main praenomina used by the plebeian Lucretii were Lucius, Marcus, Spurius, and Quintus. There are also examples of Gaius, Gnaeus, and Titus.

The only patrician family of the Lucretii bore the cognomen Tricipitinus. The plebeian families are known by the surnames Gallus, Ofella, and Vespillo. Carus was a surname belonging to the poet Lucretius. On coins, the cognomen Trio is found, but it is not mentioned in any ancient writer. A few of the Lucretii are mentioned without any surname.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ramsay William (1870). "Lucretia et seq". In Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 2. p. 828. 

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