The family name "Fabius" was the nomen of the gens Fabia of ancient Rome, that derived from the Latin faba for the broad bean, an important food crop in the Roman Empire. The Fabii (such as Fabii Maximi) were one of the several leading patrician families (gentes maiores) of the city. Of all the Roman Patrician families, the Fabii can be considered to have consolidated the most political power in the early Republic. Listed below are notable members (alphabetically, by "Fabius" compound names):[2]