The gens Cottia was a plebeian family of equestrian rank.

The first was a plebeian family at Rome who emerged during the late Republic and extended into early imperial times.

Terentia was born into a wealthy and noble plebeian family by the name of Terentius.

Originally patrician, the gens later included a number of plebeian families.

Each plebeian family was dependent on a particular patrician family.

Thus, each plebeian family belonged to the same curia as did its patrician patron.

This last is a controversial statement as some historians consider that something near a third of early consuls have names stemming from plebeian families.

I didn't know Jesus wasn't descended from a Roman plebeian family.

Although not especially common, it was used by both patrician and plebeian families.

This information identifies the Livii as a plebeian family.