Surnames – Italian Surname Database http://www.italiansurname.com Connecting Families One Name at a Time Sun, 31 Jul 2016 13:07:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 104593846 FOUNDLING SURNAMES http://www.italiansurname.com/foundling-surnames/ http://www.italiansurname.com/foundling-surnames/#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2016 13:07:31 +0000 http://www.italiansurname.com/?p=1789 Here is a list of some common foundling surnames which were often given to abandoned children prior to 1928.  Children were often named by record keepers or officials in the town.  However, sometimes wealthy members of the town or even those who accepted responsibly for the child (such as a god parent or guardian) were known to name them.  Often they were given surnames that identified them as a foundling such as Esposito (exposed), Innocenti (innocent), Salvati (saved) or given the name of the town itself but this practice was forbidden post 1928.   It is important to remember that even though one of your ancestors may have one of these surnames it does not necessarily mean they were a foundling but it could indicate that an ancestors further back may have been one.

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

Nuccia

]]> http://www.italiansurname.com/foundling-surnames/feed/ 2 1789 Sicilian Surnames – History and Onomatology [Luigi Mendola] http://www.italiansurname.com/sicilian-surnames-history-and-onomatology-luigi-mendola/ http://www.italiansurname.com/sicilian-surnames-history-and-onomatology-luigi-mendola/#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2015 12:12:17 +0000 http://www.italiansurname.com/?p=289 Sicilian Surname History and Onomatology

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?

Sicilian Genealogy & Heraldry - Louis Mendola Book - Buy it on Amazon

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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