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The origin of Italian surnames dates back from the end of the 1500s when parish priests were obligated to register parishioners with their Christian names and surnames in order to stop marriages between blood relatives.

Surnames come from different sources: first names, nicknames, geographic locations, professions, objects and titles, but each Italian region has adopted some types more than others with different spelling variations. Tracing these sources and variations is part of genealogical research and unveils an important part of family history and Italian heritage.

My Italian Family is offering the opportunity to learn the meaning and history of your Italian surnames. If you already have a comprehensive family tree and would like to complement it with your family name history, or if you are simply interested in the origin of the surname this is what you should expect to receive:
  • Surname origin, meaning, geographic distribution, its variants, alterations and derivatives and pronunciation.
  • The Surname Tree
  • Bibliography (Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Language books and other texts)
To view a sample, CLICK HERE.

The costs are the following:

Research of one surname:
  
$100
Research of two surnames: $95 per surname for a total of $190
Research of three surnames: $93 per surname for a total of $280
Research of four surnames: $90 per surname for a total of $360

TRIVIA: Many Italian surnames were derived from first names, originating with the name of the head of the household. The most common of these are Giovanni, Andrea, Anna and Rosa with all their variant spellings. More than one third on Italian surnames were based on geographic locations nations such as Bulgari (Bulgaria), regions such as Lazio, cities such as Palermo, and places such as Della Casa. Some surnames came from nicknames such as Grassi (fat), Gambacorta (shortleg), Gentile (gentle) or Forte (strong). Others were derived from trades including Barbieri (barber), Pastore (sheperd) and Medici (physician).
Occasionally, unsual circumstances gave rise to surnames such as Fumagalli, which means smoked poultry. Thieves used to fill the hen-house with smoke so the chickens made no noise during the theft. If your name is Fumagalli, your ancestors may have been chicken thieves.

Order here:
1 Surname
2 Surnames
3 Surnames
4 Surnames
Click on the items above to order a Surname Search

If you have any questions regarding your order or a different payment method, please email us at surnames@myitalianfamily.com or call us direct at 1-888-472-0171.
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