Cottone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

The Cottone family can trace its noble origins to the Italian region of Sicily. 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 traditional type of family name found in the region of Sicily 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 Cottone (English: cotton) family originates in the northern end of the municipal territory of Scansano and Siena. This was home to the famous Maggi di Cotone dynasty who held the Castello di Cotone, the Castello di Montepò, the Castello di Colle Massari, the Castello di Vicarello and the Castello della Sabatina.

Early Origins of the Cottone family

The surname Cottone was first found in Sicily, especially in Palermo where it has at its base an original nickname or trade name formed from the Sicilian cuttuni "cotton." 1

At one time, they held the lordships of Cotone, Montorgiali and Matignato, and gave two grand masters of Malta, all before 1464. They resided in supreme magistratures. Another branch was originally from France, and transplanted to Messina where in the county of Bavuso, they had established a branch of the family in Palermo, adorned by Philip IV of the title of Prince of Castelnuovo in 1623. 2 The ruins of Castello di Cotone, a medieval settlement and castle in Scansano near Grosseto, Tuscany can still be seen today.

Early History of the Cottone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cottone research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1623, 1756, 1812 and 1829 are included under the topic Early Cottone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cottone 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 Cottone include Cotone, Cottone and others.

Early Notables of the Cottone family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

Carlo Cottone, (1756-1829), Prince of Castelnuovo, a Sicilian politician, known as one of the main advocates of the Sicilian Constitution of 1812...

Cottone Ranking

In the United States, the name Cottone is the 18,755^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Cottone family

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Cottone arrived in North America very early:

Contemporary Notables of the name Cottone (post 1700) +

Joseph R. "Jay" Cottone (b. 1949), American head football coach at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire from 1981 to 1985, compiling a record of 46–7 and leading the Panthers to five consecutive New England Football Conference (NEFC) titles
Robert Rocco Cottone (b. 1952), American psychologist, ethicist, counselor, poet, and professor
Maegan Cottone, British American songwriter, singer, vocal producer and vocal arranger
Pietro Cottone, American researcher at Boston University School of Medicine
Carlo Cottone, American Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Neurosurgery at University of Pennsylvania
Robert Cottone, American researcher and professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis
John S. Cottone, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1969-79 4
Debra Cottone, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1984 4
Benedetto Cottone (1917-2018), Italian politician, Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1963-1976)
Antonio Cottone (1904-1956), Italian member of the Sicilian Mafia
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

De Felice, Emidio, Dizionario Dei Cognomi Italiani, edited by Arnoldo Mondadori, Italy, Oscar Mondadori, 1978.
Fucilla, Joseph Guerin. Our Italian Surnames. Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html