In ancient Rome, a gens (pl. gentes) was a family or clan that shared a common name (the nomen, plural nomina) and a belief in a common ancestor. In the Roman system of three names, the second name was the name of the gens to which the person belonged. The origins of the gentes are unclear, although they are probably not as ancient as the Romans themselves thought. Few of the gens names have clear Indo-European etymologies, and some have been traced to Etruscan names. Some gentes were associate… (More on Gens)