Publicola was the son of the noblewoman Valeria, one of the sisters to the senator Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, thus was a daughter of Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger and his wife, Polla.
[2] His cognomen Publicola or Poplicola means in Latin "friend of the people".
His mother named him this cognomen in honor of her step father consul Lucius Gellius Publicola and also the name Publicola is a cognomen that appears in Valeria's paternal ancestry, the gens Valeria.
Publicola is remembered from his political career as a distinguished orator.
Publicola had a son named Quintus Pedius, who was mute, and became a painter on the advice of Corvinus.