It is important to read records carefully when extracting information for foundlings as it will usually document where the child was found, what the child was wearing or what he carried with him should a person who previously abandoned a child change their mind and choose to recognise/legitimise him in the future. In that case there will be a second document created with the details of the event – although that record may be created several days, months or even years later making it very tricky to locate.
List of Some Common Italian Foundling Surnames
- Arfanetti
- Armandonada
- Bardotti
- Bastardo
- Colombini
- Dati
- de Alteriis
- della Donna
- della Femmina
- della Fortuna
- della Gioia
- della Stella
- Dell ‘Amore
- dell’orfano
- del Gaudio
- Diodata
- D’Amore
- D’ Ignoto
- Esposto
- Esposito
- Esposuto
- Fortuna
- Ignotis
- Incerto
- Incognito
- Innocenti
- Innocentini
- Mulo
- Naturale
- Nocenti
- Nocentini
- Proietti
- Ritrovato
- Salvati
- Sposito
- Spurio
- Stellato
- Trovatello
- Trovato
- Ventura
- Venturini
Renting 
microfilms from the Family History Center may be a thing of the past as more and more Italian records are digitalized and available for viewing on line thanks to the efforts of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
Recently the LDS has not only digitalized these records but made them available for viewing directly from their computers at any FHC. If you are a member of the Church then you may login from any home computer using your LDS Ordinance ID.
How to tell which Records have been Digitalized
To see which records are available on line do the following:
- Login to the Family Search Website. If you don’t have an account you can create a free one.
- Go to the tab labelled Catalog. In the search bar enter the name of the town you are looking for and hit enter.
- A results page will appear. Choose the link you are interested in and again hit enter. Another link will appear with more details. Click on the blue link and hit enter .
- Another page appears with even more info about the records and film type.
- Scroll down the page to see which records are available. If a camera icon appears next to the record you need it means that it has been digitalized and can be viewed directly at the FHC.
Just a final note – I would suggest that if you are interested in heading over to your local FHC you call ahead to make an appointment and view their hours of operation.
Enjoy and Happy Hunting!
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This interesting article, found on the Best of Sicily Magazine website and written by Luigi Mendola, attempts to dispel a few myths while considering the origins and development of various surnames and how they originated in Sicily.
It takes a bit of reading to fully focus on what he is trying to convey but there is some good content and many other links which provide useful information.
What is a Sicilian?
The first chapter of the book written by Mendola and titled Sicilian Genealogy & Heraldry begins with “What is a Sicilian?” It has been noted that it may be the deciding factor in your successful discovery of Sicilian ancestors and a unique Sicilian heritage.
Here’s a snippet of what you can expect to read…
Unfortunately, the misperception persists, with many Sicilians believing that every Sicilian surname having a Greek or Norman-French root indicates that the family was therefore of Greek or Norman origin in the male line. This is nonsense. It would be like saying that any boy named Cesare was descended in the male line from Julius or Augustus Caesar….
**Full Disclosure: Article may contain affiliate links.
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According to an article in http://italian.about.com/od/italianculture/a/aa111704a.htm, written by Michael San Filippo, the top 20 surnames in Italy appear below. I have also included the meaning for each as well as alternate spellings. Russo and Rossi seem to be the most common.
ROSSI – A red-haired or ruddy-complexioned individual, derived from the nickname “rosso,” meaning ‘ red.’ Most common in northern Italy. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: ROSSO, ROSSA, RUSSI, RUSSO, RUGGIU, RUBIU, ROSSELLI, ROSSELLO, ROSSELLINI, RISSIELLO, ROSSILLO, ROSSETTI, ROSSETTO, ROSSETTINI, ROSSITTI, ROSSITTO, ROSSINI, ROSSINO, ROSSOTTI, ROSSOTTO, ROSSINI, ROSSONE, ROSSUTO, RUSSELLO, RUSSINO, RUSSOTTI, RUSSOTTO, RUSSIANI, RUSSOLILLO
RUSSO – This southern Italian variation of the ROSSI surname which means “red-haired or ruddy-complexioned individual.” Derived from the nickname “rosso,” meaning ‘ red.’ Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: ROSSI, RUSSELLO, RUSSINO, RUSSOTTI, RUSSOTTO, RUSSIANI, RUSSOLILLO
FERRARI- An occupational surname from the Italian word “ferraro,” meaning ‘blacksmith” – originally derived from the Latin ferrum meaning “iron.” The Italian equivalent of the surname SMITH. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: FERARI,
ESPOSITO – A last name commonly given to children in Italy (prior to its unification in 1861) who were abandoned or given up for adoption by their parents. From the Latin “expositus,” the past participle of the Latin verb “exponere,” which means ‘to place outside.’ Especially prevalent in the Naples region of Italy. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: ESPOSTI, ESPOSTO, ESPOSTI, DEGLI ESPOSTI,
BIANCHI – From “bianco,” meaning ‘white,’ this surname was often given to a person who was white-haired or had a very light complexion. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: BIANCA, BIANCO, BIANCHESSI, BIANCHETTI, BIANCHINI, BIANCIOTTI, BIANCOLINI, BIANCONCINI, BIANCOTTO
ROMANO – The Italian form of “Romanus,” the Latin word for ‘Rome,’ this popular Italian surname was often used to denote someone from Rome, Italy. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: ROMANI
COLOMBO – From the word “colombo,” meaning ‘dove,’ Colombo was a name often given to a dove keeper. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: COLOMBANI, COLOMBERA, COLOMBINI, COLOMBRINO
RICCI – Derived from the Italian adjective” ricco,” meaning ‘curly,’ RICCI and its variations are a nickname for someone with curly hair. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: RICCIO, RIZZI, RIZZO, RIZZA, RISSO, RICCELLI, RICCIARELLI, RICCETTI, RICCINI, RICCIOLI, RICCIOLINO, RICCIULLI, RICCIOTTI, RICCIONI, RICCIUTO, RICCERI, RICCITIELLO, RIZZELLO, RIZZIELLO RIZZETTI, RIZZETTO, RIZZINI, RIZZOLI, RIZZOLA, RIZZOTTI, RIZZONI, RIZZONE, RIZZARI, RIZZATO, RIZZIERI, RIZZUTI, RISSOLO
MARINO – Derived from the Latin word “marinus,” meaning ‘of the sea,’ the Marino and Marini surnames indicate someone who lives or works near the ‘mare,’ or sea. Surname Origin: Italian, Spanish
Alternate Surname Spellings: MARINI, MARIN, MARINELLI, MARINELLA, MARINIELLO, MARINETTI, MARINUZZI, MARINOLLI, MARINOTTI, MARINONI, MARINATO, MARINACCI
GRECO – Someone who originates from Greece. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: GRIECO, GRECI, GRECHI, GREGO
BRUNO – From the Italian word for “brown,” Bruno was, a nickname for a person with brown hair, skin, or clothes. From the German “brun,” meaning dark, brown. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: BRUNI, BRUNA, BRUNAZZI, BRUNELLO, BRUNERI, BRUNONE, BRUNORI
GALLO – From the Latin “gallus,” meaning ‘cock, rooster,’ this was a nickname for a proud person, especially one with a “cocky” or vain attitude. Surname Origin: Italian, Spanish
Alternate Surname Spellings: GALLI, GALLETTI, GALLINI, GALLONI, GALLUCCI
CONTI – From the Old French “conte”, meaning count, it denoted a person who worked for a count (noble) or was possibly himself a count. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: CONTE, CONTIELLO
DE LUCA – A patronymic surname meaning “son of Luca.” The given name Luca is the Italian version of Luke, from the Greek name Loukas meaning “from Lucania,” a region in Italy. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: DI LUCA, DILUCA
COSTA – Meaning “coast” or “riverbank,” this surname denoted a person who lived by a river or the sea. Surname Origin: Italian, Spanish, Portugese
Alternate Surname Spellings: DA COSTA, DI COSTA, DE COSTA
GIORDANO – The Italian form of the name Jordan, this surname has its roots in “Yarden,” the Hebrew name of the Jordan river flowing between the countries of Jordan and Israel. Derived from “yarad,” meaning ‘descend’ or ‘flow down.’ Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: GIORDANI
MANCINI – From the Italian word “manco,” meaning ‘left-handed.’ Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: MANCINO, MANCINELLI
RIZZO – A variant of the common Italian surname RICCI, which is derived from the Italian adjective” ricco,” meaning ‘curly.’ In other words, a nickname for someone with curly hair. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: RICCI, RICCIO, RIZZI, RIZZA, RISSO, RICCELLI, RICCIARELLI, RICCETTI, RICCINI, RICCIOLI, RICCIOLINO, RICCIULLI, RICCIOTTI, RICCIONI, RICCIUTO, RICCERI, RICCITIELLO, RIZZELLO, RIZZIELLO RIZZETTI, RIZZETTO, RIZZINI, RIZZOLI, RIZZOLA, RIZZOTTI, RIZZONI, RIZZONE, RIZZARI, RIZZATO, RIZZIERI, RIZZUTI, RISSOLO
LOMBARDI – A geographical surname for someone who came from Lombardy, a region in Italy which got its name from the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: LOMBARDO, LOMBARDINI, LOMBARDELLI
MORETTI – 1- Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mauro, the Italian form of Maurus, meaning “dark-skinned” or used to refer to someone coming from Mauritania in northern Africa. 2- Possibly derived from the word “morro” meaning ‘rock.’ Surname Origin: Italian
Alternate Surname Spellings: MORETI, MORO, MORELLI, MORINI, MORUCCI, MORUZZI, MORUCCHIO, MORATELLI, MORISI, MORATTI, MORAZZI, MORASSUTTI, MORESCHI, MORONI
Unfortunately, the article does not site sources which is disappointing.
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