Accoleia gens
The gens Accoleia, also spelled Acoleia, Acculeia, and Aculeia, was a minor plebeian family at Rome during the latter part of the Republic. Most of what is known of this gens comes from various coins and inscriptions. Origin and meaning. The origin of the nomen is uncertain, but the gens apparently shared its name with one of the thirty curiae, or wards, which formed divisions of the three Romulean tribes, suggesting that the family might have been of great antiquity, although if so it was exceedingly obscure. One tradition states that the curiae were named after the Sabine  women carried off in the time of Romulus. Of the few whose names are known, several correspond with particular neighborhoods of Rome, although this does not establish whether the wards were originally named after historical or mythological personages. One such person, Acca Larentia, was the foster-mother of Romulus and Remus, suggesting that perhaps "Acculeia" was a nomen derived from "Acca". This might account for the fact that the curia Acculeia carried out a sacrifice in honor of Angerona, the tutelary goddess of Rome itself, during the Angeronalia. A denarius issued by Publius Accoleius Lariscolus, pictured above, may represent the  worship of Acca Larentia, although the figure has also been identified as that of Diana Nemorensis, depicted as a triple goddess. Perhaps less romantically, the nomen could be derived from the noun "aculeus", meaning a "thorn" or "needle", or the corresponding adjective, with the additional meaning of "sharp". Praenomina. The main praenomina of the Accoleii were "Lucius" and "Publius". The family used a few other names, including "Marcus" and "Quintus". All were among the most common names throughout Roman history. Branches and cognomina. All of the cognomina borne by members of this gens appear to have been personal surnames, such  as "Lariscolus", "Euhermerus", and "Abascantus".