Cosmo Surname History

Origins Available:
Italy

The distinguished surname Cosmo can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. 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 Venice 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 Cosmo came from the given name Cosma, which is derived from the Latin Cosmas, which means harmony.

Early Origins of the Cosmo family

The surname Cosmo was first found in Padua (Italian: Padova, Latin: Patavium, Venetian: Padoa), on the Bacchiglione River, capital of the province of Padua, when Niccol Cosmico was a famous poet there in 1420.

Early History of the Cosmo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cosmo research. More information is included under the topic Early Cosmo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cosmo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: De Cosimo, Cosma, Cosmo, Cosmi, Cusma, Cosimo, Cosimi, De Cosmo, De Cosmis, Cosmelli, Cosimelli, Cosmini, Cosmin, Gosmin, Gusmin, Cosimini, Cosimato, Cosmano, Cosmani, Cosini, Cusmano, Gusmani, Cusimano, Cusumano and many more.

Early Notables of the Cosmo family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cosmo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cosmo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cosmo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Cosmo, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Cosmo (post 1700) +

Sir Nicholas Cosmo Bonsor DL (1942-2023), 4th Baronet, a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for Nantwich from 1979 to 1983, Vice-President of the Standing Council of the Baronetage
Roy Cosmo Kerslake (b. 1942), English cricketer from Paignton, Devon who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Somerset
Sir Gordon Cosmo Touche (1895-1972), 1st Baronet of Dorking in the County of Surrey, a British barrister and politician, Chairman of Ways and Means (1959-1962), Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
William Cosmo Monkhouse (1840-1901), Canadian man of letters, poet, art and literature critic
Cosmo James Petrich AM, Australian businessman, Deputy Chairman of Ports Corporation of Queensland, 1999–2009, Chief Executive Officer of Cape York Peninsula Development Association, 1996–2005
Sir Cosmo Dugal Patrick Thomas Haskard MBE (b. 1916), Irish-born, British colonial administrator, Governor of the Falkland Islands (1964-1970)
Cosmo Nelson Innes FRSE (1798-1874), Scottish advocate, judge, Advocate-Depute, Sheriff of Elginshire, and Principal Clerk of Session, his "Essay Concerning Some Scotch Names" gives great insight into many Scottish families
Cosmo Campoli (1923-1997), American sculptor based in Chicago
Sir Cosmo Gordon Antrobus (1859-1939), 5th Baronet of Antrobus in the County Palatine
Cosmo George Leipoldt Pieterse (b. 1930), South African playwright, actor, poet, literary critic and anthologist

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)