Show ContentsBianchi History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Bianchi family. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Bianchi came from a light-haired or light-complexioned person having derived from the Germanic word blank which means white.

Early Origins of the Bianchi family

The surname Bianchi was first found in northern Italy, in the modern territory of Emilia-Romagna. The earliest record of the Bianchi family shows them in Bologna, where Martino Bianchi was a chancellor in 938 in Orvieto, one of the more prosperous cities of this time. Bianchi is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Early History of the Bianchi family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bianchi research. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1447, 1460, 1510, 1581, 1590, 1604, 1612, 1656, 1657, 1662, 1679, 1729, 1752 and 1810 are included under the topic Early Bianchi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bianchi Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Bianchi include Bianchs, Bianchis, Bianchiardi, Bianca, Biancani, Biancat, Biancato, Biancheda, Bianchedi, Bianchera, Biancheri, Bianchesi, Bianchessi, Bianchet, Bianchetti, Bianchetto, Bianchi, Bianchini, Bianchinotti, Bianciotti, Bianco, Biancoli, Biancolini, Bianconcini, Biancone, Bianconi, Biancotti, Biancotto, Biancucci, Blanc, Blanca, Blanco, DeBianchi, De Bianchi, Del Bianco, DelBianco, LaBianca, La Bianca and many more.

Early Notables of the Bianchi family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Francesco Ferrari Bianchi was born in Modena in 1460 and created dramatic religious paintings famous for their use of color
  • Isidoro Bianchi (1581-1662), was an Italian painter of the Baroque period
  • Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729), was an Italian philosopher and scientist
  • Giovanni Bianchini a professor at Ferrara in the 15th century, an astronomer who wrote numerous astronomical tables

Bianchi World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bianchi is the 5,969th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Bianchi is ranked the 869th most popular surname with an estimated 5,893 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Bianchi is the 64th popular surname with an estimated 69 people with that name. 3


United States Bianchi migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Bianchi:

Bianchi Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Abbondi Bianchi, aged 15, who settled in America, in 1892
  • Adele Bianchi, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1895
Bianchi Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Agostino Bianchi, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States from Lucca, in 1906
  • Abramo Bianchi, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Capanmari, Lucca, Italy, in 1907
  • Adamo Bianchi, aged 19, who immigrated to America from Manoppello, Chieti, in 1909
  • Abamo Bianchi, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Fivvzzano, Italy, in 1910
  • Adele Bianchi, aged 21, who settled in America from Quassolo, Italy, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bianchi (post 1700) +

  • Ben Bianchi, American artist
  • Eugene Carl Bianchi (b. 1930), American educator
  • First Lieutenant Willibald C Bianchi, American officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942
  • Alessandra Bianchi (1964-2023), Italian sports journalist
  • Mansueto Bianchi (1949-2016), Italian Roman Catholic bishop
  • Emilio Bianchi (1913-2015), Italian WWII naval commando who lived to be 102
  • Regina Bianchi (1921-2013), born Regina D'Antigny, an Italian stage and film actress
  • Daniela Bianchi (b. 1942), Italian actress, whose best known part was Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia with Love
  • Andrea Bianchi, Italian film director
  • Tony Bianchi (1952-2017), Welsh-language novelist and short-story writer
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

St. Francis Dam
  • Mr. Frank Bianchi, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America


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