He may have been born in Thrace, but his peculiar surname might indicate provenance from Trogilos (Greek: Τρώγιλος) in Macedonia.[2] According to information provided by the 6th-century historian Procopius of Caesarea and Troglita's panegyrist Flavius Cresconius Corippus, he was the son of a certain Evanthes, and had at least one brother named Pappus. Troglita himself married a "daughter of a king", probably a barbarian chieftain, and had a son, Peter.[2]