Answer:
In Ancient Rome, patricians were members of certain ancient noble families. The title of patrician was NOT awarded on the basis of wealth - it was a case of breeding. Some men in Rome became fabulously wealthy, richer by far than most or even all patricians, but could never be made patrician. Patricians originally held all power in Rome, during the Kingdom period and the Republic, but as the Republic aged non-patricians gained more and more power. By the end of the Republic, the Patricians were no longer an all-powerful ruling class - however, they still retained much of their influence.
In Roman times, the patricians were the upper class nobles, politicians, professionals, etc. The rest were the plebeians ("plebs" is still in use today).