The gens Septimia was a plebeian family at Rome. The gens first appears in history towards the close of the Republic, and they did not achieve much importance until the latter half of the 2nd century, when Lucius Septimius Severus obtained the imperial dignity.
The chief praenomina of the Septimii were Publius, Lucius, Gaius, and Titus. There are a few instances of other names, including Aulus, Marcus, and Quintus. The ancestor of the family must have been named Septimus, although none of the members who are known to history bore this praenomen.
Branches and cognomina of the gens
The Septimii of the Republic were not clearly divided into separate families. A number of surnames are found at various periods, of which the most notable are Severus, meaning "stern, serious," or "severe," and Geta, referring to one of the Getae, a Thracian people. Both cognomina were associated with the imperial family of the late 2nd and early 3rd century. Severus had been borne by one of the Septimii early in the 1st century BC, but it was a common surname, and it is not known whether the imperial family was descended from that Septimius Severus.
Publius Septimius Scaevola, a senator, who was one of the judges allegedly bribed by Aulus Cluentius Habitus in order to obtain the condemnation of Statius Albius Oppianicus in 74 BC. Septimius was condemned two years later, ostensibly on a charge of repetundae, or extortion.
Publius Septimius, the quaestor of Marcus Terentius Varro, who sent him three books of De Lingua Latina. Septimius is probably the same man who wrote two books on architecture, as his name is mentioned by Vitruvius in connection with Varro's.
Septimia, the wife of Sicca, a friend of Cicero.
Septimius, proscribed by the triumvirs in 43 BC, he was betrayed by his wife to the assassins.
Septimius, a friend of the poet Horatius, who dedicated to him one of his odes. In a letter to Horatius, Augustus refers to him as Septimius noster, "our Septimius".
Septimius, a centurion slain by the soldiers in Germania, when they revolted at the commencement of the reign of Tiberius.
Aulus Septimius Serenus, a lyric poet, whose subject matter concerned mainly rural pursuits.