The setting of one of my stories uses a very odd social structure that I invented, only for me to later realise that that I cannot find anything similar in the real world or even other fantasy fiction to draw further inspiration from in fleshing it out.

Nearly every person is a member of a Gens (plural Gentes, semi-placeholder name). A Gens is an extended family-of-families who are specialized into a particular economic sphere, and who live and work together. The vast majority of trade occurs between Gens as units rather than between individuals, and nearly all property is owned at the Gens level.

Gentes all have their own unique internal governance systems, but broadly speaking, most of the small ones are direct democracies with no specific leader, while the larger ones have a pecking-order based on seniority, either by age or by accomplishing certain feats in their respective craft. Size-wise, Gentes range in size from a hundred or so members at the lower end to a thousand or so at the higher end. A hundred or so is a small as you can get an remain economically viable, while at the larger end you tend to either bleed membership or split into smaller Gentes outright.

For example, Gens Hlautren are a Gens of stone-workers and architects who design and build the various structures in the city. Their children are trained from a fairly young age in the various skills needed for the profession. When one of the other Gentes needs a building built, they will commission Hlautren (or another Gens in he same industry) for the task.

Gentes also exist for artistic and cultural pursuits, and for nearly anything else that you could think of. Also, many Gentes have overlapping economic spheres and are direct competitors, ie. there is not just one 'blacksmithing gens', but many, differentiating themselves by style, reputation, ect.

You are technically permitted to leave your current Gens at any time, but if no other Gens will take you in, you are screwed. If you leave, you leave with your skills and the clothes on your back (if they let you keep even that). Again, property and money is owned at the Gens level, and independent wage-work isn't really a thing in this setting, so if you are not a member of a Gens, you can't even buy food. Unless you are kicked out or fleeing in haste, you would hopefully make arrangements in advance for another Gens to take you in, probably by you marrying into it.

I am still fleshing this out and developing it, so I came to ask. Is there anything, real or fictional, even vaguely similar to this social structure? The placeholder name came from a Roman concept, but has little resemblance to the current version. It is kind of like a Guild (and in fact evolved out of them in-universe) but not. It is kind of like a Caste system, but not- too much inter-factional mobility and the lack of a fixed hierarchy. It is vaguely like a clan-system transplanted into an urban environment, but not. Theoretical Anarcho-syndicalist communes are tenuously similar, but the coupling of economic activity to kinship is a major divergence.

The only fictional examples that I can think of are the Kiith of the Homeworld franchise (but smaller, and in an otherwise very different setting, darkly surreal and fantastic instead of hard-scifi) and the Factions of Divergent (but not completely idiotic). Anything?

Also, just in general, does this seem like it would be a stable, functional society? Interesting and novel enough without being entirely alien?

Anyone have a better name than Gens/Gentes?