Defranco History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Piedmont emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Defranco family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. 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. Although the most common type of family name found in Piedmont 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 Defranco is a name for "Franc." The surname Franchi can be traced to the Norman given name Franc, which was a name for the Germanic peoples, the Franks, who inhabited the lands around the Rhine River in Roman times. In the 6th century, under the leadership of Clovis I, the Frankish tribe established a substantial empire in Europe, which later developed into the Holy Roman Empire. Their most famous Emperor was Charlemagne. The surname Franchi is also a name for a person from Franconia in Gemany.

Early Origins of the Defranco family

The surname Defranco was first found in with Giacomo Franchi who was a statesman and member of this prominent family near Genoa in 1445.

Early History of the Defranco family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Defranco research. The years 1450, 1477, 1517, 1546, 1592, 1633, 1638, 1666, 1709 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Defranco History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Defranco 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 Defranco include Franco, Franca, Franch, Frank, De Franchi, De Franchis, De Franco, Di Franco, La Franca, Franchèlli, Franchelli, Franchèllo, Franchello, Franchétto, Franchitti, Franina, Francolini, Francucci, Franci, Francesetti, Franciotti, Franconi and many more.

Early Notables of the Defranco family

Prominent among members of the family was Francesco Francia, (1450-1517), an Italian painter and goldsmith born in Bolognia; Matteo Franco, (born 1477) a Florentine priest and poet who wrote several volumes of humorous poetry; Veronica Franco (born 1546) , a Venetian courtesan and poet; Nicol Franchi from Piedmont, a counselor...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Defranco Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Defranco Ranking

In the United States, the name Defranco is the 12,446^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Defranco migration to the United States +

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Defranco or a variant listed above:

Defranco Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Angelo DeFranco, aged 21, who settled in America from Labriola, in 1905
Michele DeFranco, aged 23, who settled in America from Barisciano, Italy, in 1910
Salvatore DeFranco, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States from Mormanno, Italy, in 1911
Angiolina DeFranco, aged 38, who landed in America from S. Losh, Italy, in 1911
Biagio DeFranco, aged 15, who immigrated to the United States from Mormanno, Italy, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Defranco (post 1700) +

Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (b. 1923), Italian American jazz clarinet player
Philip James DeFranco (b. 1985), born Philip James Franchini Jr., American news commentator and an American YouTube personality, known for The Philip DeFranco Show
Tony DeFranco (b. 1959), Canadian musician, lead singer of The DeFranco Family, featuring Tony DeFranco, a Canadian pop music group, active in the 1970s
Merlina DeFranco (b. 1957), Canadian drummer, member of The DeFranco Family, featuring Tony DeFranco, a Canadian pop music group, active in the 1970s
Nino DeFranco (b. 1955), Canadian keyboardist, member of The DeFranco Family, featuring Tony DeFranco, a Canadian pop music group, active in the 1970s
Marisa DeFranco (b. 1954), Canadian keyboardist, member of The DeFranco Family, featuring Tony DeFranco, a Canadian pop music group, active in the 1970s
Benny DeFranco (b. 1953), Canadian guitarist, member of The DeFranco Family, featuring Tony DeFranco, a Canadian pop music group, active in the 1970s

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/