Orcivia gens
The gens Orcivia, also written Orcevia and Orchivia, was a minor plebeian family at Rome. Few of them achieved any prominence in the Roman state, but many are known from inscriptions. Origin. The nomen "Orcivius" belongs to a class of gentilicia believed to be of Sabine or Oscan origin, formed from other names using less common suffixes, in this case "-ivius", which never became regular elements of Roman nomina. The name may have been formed from the nomen "Orchius" or "Orcius". Most of the Orcivii found in inscriptions are concentrated at Praeneste in Latium, at Rome and Ostia , and in the provinces of Venetia and Histria, Africa Proconsularis, and Numidia. By far, the greatest number are from Praeneste, suggesting that it was the ancestral home of the Orcivii. Praenomina. The main praenomina of the Orcivii were "Marcus, Gaius", and "Lucius", the three most common names throughout Roman history. Other praenomina occur infrequently among the known members of the family, including "Quintus, Publius, Gnaeus", and "Aulus", all of which were also very common names. The Orchivii also supply an example of the common feminine praenomen "Maio".