Battista History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The distinguished surname Battista can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Battista was derived from the name "Baptist" in devotion to St. John the Baptist.

Early Origins of the Battista family

The surname Battista was first found in on the island of Corsica, just north of Sardinia, in the town of San Nicolo. The family was famous for its many soldiers, who fought to keep Corsica part of Italy.

Early History of the Battista family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Battista research. The years 1458, 1524, 1591, 1614, 1683, 1784, 1823 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Battista History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Battista Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Battista, Abbattista, Batisti, Batista, De Battista, Di Battista, Battistelli, Batistelli, Battistello, Battistella, Battistel, Battistetti, Battistini, Battistin, Battistiol, Battistotti, Battistuzzi, Battistoni, Battistone, Battiston, Battistano, Battistato, Battistat, Battistutti, Battistutta, Titta, Tittoni and many more.

Early Notables of the Battista family

The Byzantine period left many fine examples of architecture and much is still in evidence today. The Franks in 774 finally relinquished control to Charlemagne in 810. It was controlled by many powerful families which ended in a republic in 1032. Trade flourished, and a constitution emerged in 1297 followed by expansion to the mainland. By 1500 continuous wars had diluted the growth of Venice. The five wars with Turkey under their Doge Sebastian Venier and others proved abortive. After five wars they lost Crete and Cyprus. and finally Morea. The Veneto region suffered greatly during the invasion of the French and Napoleon in 1796. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the Austrians took over and governed the area until Italy's efforts to unify in 1859. Unfortunately, Venice lost much of its territory and trading power. It became the great pleasure city of Europe. Napoleon took the city but handed it over to Austria in 1798. Then it became French, then Austrian again. The city joined the official unification of Italy in 1861. During this phase of the family name history there were many distinguished notables including

Saint Camilla Battista da Varano, O.S.C., (1458-1524), from Camerino, Italy, an Italian princess and a Poor Clare nun and abbess
Giovanni Battista di Quadro (died c. 1591), a Swiss-Italian Renaissance architect, one of the most famous architects in Central Europe in his time
Giovanni Battista de Luca (1614-1683), an Italian jurist and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

Battista Ranking

In the United States, the name Battista is the 9,472^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Battista migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Battista Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Battista, who landed in Nombre de Dios, Panama in 1834 2
Defranceses Battista, aged 32, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1893 2
Alessandro Battista, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1896
Ameileo Battista, aged 4, who immigrated to America, in 1896
Angelo Battista, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Battista Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ambrossi Battista, aged 40, who landed in America from Bedollo, in 1906
Angelandrea Battista, aged 18, who settled in America from Altamura, in 1906
Angelino Giov. Battista, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Ceccano, Roma, in 1907
Andrea Battista, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States from Auviano, in 1907
Angelantonio Battista, aged 23, who landed in America from Villetta Barrea, Italy, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Battista (post 1700) +

Barbara Ann "Bobbie" Battista (1952-2020), award-winning American journalist, nominated for a CableACE award for Best Newscaster in 1995
Orlando Aloysius Battista (1917-1995), Canadian-American chemist and author
Giovanni Battista Casali (1715-1792), Italian musician
Giovanni Battista Casali del Drago (1838-1908), Italian cardinal
Giovanni Battista Casali (1715-1792), Italian musician
Giovanni Battista Rabino (1931-2020), Italian politician from the Christian Democracy party
Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-1785), Italian painter, born at Florence in 1727; his family was from Pistoja, and his first master was Ignazio Hugford, an Englishman, who settled early in life in Florence, and died in 1778 3
Giovanni Battista Troiani (1844-1927), Italian sculptor from Villafranca di Verona
Giovanni Battista Bertani (1516-1576), Italian painter and architect of the late Renaissance period
Giovanni Battista Ceruti (1756-1817), Italian violin maker, considered to be a progenitor of the traditional Cremonese master luthiers of the 18th century

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020