The nomen
Ragonius belongs to a class of
gentilicia formed using the suffix , typically of plebeian origin, and frequently of
Oscan ancestry. Such names were originally formed from
cognomina ending in
-o, but once they became common, came to be regarded as a regular gentile-forming suffix, and was used in cases where it had no morphological justification. The origin of
Ragonius is obscure, but Chase suggests a possible etymological relationship to
raga, a variation of
braca, a harness, or, in the plural, breeches. The occurrence of the
Etruscan gentilicia
Urinatius and
Larcius, and the
Latin Tuscenius in the nomenclature of two of the earlier Ragonii might point to an Etruscan origin, but given the period at which they appear, in all probability they refer to ancestors of this family in the female line. ==Branches and cognomina==