Calvino History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Lombardy emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Calvino. 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Lombardy is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Calvino family lived in Milan since the 12th century.

Early Origins of the Calvino family

The surname Calvino was first found in the 12th century, when the Calvelli family lived in Milan.

Early History of the Calvino family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calvino research. The years 1390, 1396, 1400, 1405, 1651, 1710, 1771 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Calvino History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calvino Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Calvino include Calvi, Calvo, Calvelli, Calvèlli, Calvello, Calvèllo, Calvento, Calvetti, Calvètti, Calviètti, Calvietti, Calvini, Calvino, Calvillo, Calvani, Calvano, Calvanelli, Calvanèlli, Calvagno, Calvagna, Calveri, Calvèri, Calvosa and many more.

Early Notables of the Calvino family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was Antonio Calvi of Rome who lived during the 14th century and was a lawyer. In 1405 he was made a Cardinal of the city. Antonio Calvi of Rome was Bishop of Imola in 1390 and then of Todi in 1396, and was made Cardinal in 1405. The Calvelli family in Sicily acquired many ancient Greek castles, produced 10 barons, and were recognized as nobility in Aragona, Milan, Venice, and Palermo. Agostino Calvi was a famous painter in Genoa around...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calvino Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calvino migration to the United States +

Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Calvino or a variant listed above:

Calvino Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Domingo Calvino, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1830 1
Benito Calvino, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1860 1
Assunta Calvino, aged 13, who immigrated to the United States from Italy, in 1893
Eduardo Calvino, aged 10, who immigrated to the United States from Italy, in 1893
Eloisa Calvino, aged 2, who settled in America from Italy, in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Calvino Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Angelo Calvino, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Castrogrodini, in 1903
Agnese Calvino, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Cavallermagiore, Italy, in 1905
Gaetano Calvino, aged 31, who immigrated to America from Pietrofrezia, in 1906
Carmela Calvino, aged 19, who landed in America from Napoli, Italy, in 1907
Carmelo Calvino, aged 24, who settled in America from Calasiebetta, Italy, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)