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….
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