Ferrante History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Ferrante 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 Tuscany 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 Ferrante is a name for a person associated with the color gray having derived from the Old Italian word "ferrante" which means gray. This surname may also have been a habitational name taken on from Ferrante, a place name in Cosenza province.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Latin word "ferrum," which means "iron," but as above, the name was most likely a nickname.

Early Origins of the Ferrante family

The surname Ferrante was first found in Florence as early as 1300, when members of the Ferranti family first became priests in the city. Records show that over the next 62 years, the family was responsible for six more priests.

Early History of the Ferrante family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferrante research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1458, 1494, 1507, 1513, 1525, 1542, 1544, 1557, 1563, 1580, 1599, 1605, 1609, 1614, 1615, 1618, 1621, 1630, 1652, 1662, 1664, 1667, 1671, 1678, 1682 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Ferrante History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferrante 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 Ferrante include Ferrante, Ferranti, Afferante, Ferrantello, Ferrantelli, Ferrantino, Ferrantini, Ferrantin and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferrante family

Prominent among members of the family was Domenico Maria Ferrabosco, born in 1513, a composer and was choirmaster at the Basilica Vaticana in Rome. He was also a singer in the Papal choir. At the age of 30, he had a son, Alfonso, who became a famous musician and went to England, where he entered the service of Queen Elizabeth.Alfonso Ferrabosco or Ferabosco, the Italian musician who settled in England in the middle of the 16th century with his father was ranked among the first of the Elizabethan era. He composed motets, madrigals, and pieces for the virginals. His first book...
Another 230 words (16 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferrante Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferrante Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferrante is the 5,623^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Ferrante is ranked the 7,743^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Ferrante migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Ferrante

Ferrante Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Agustin Ferrante, who arrived in Peru in 1892 3
Afsunta Ferrante, aged 8, who immigrated to the United States from Piano il Sorrent, in 1898

Ferrante Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alfredo Ferrante, aged 16, who settled in America from Palmi, Italy, in 1904
Andrea Ferrante, aged 19, who settled in America from Cassel Sangeo, Italy, in 1905
Amedeo Ferrante, aged 33, who landed in America from Castoli, Italy, in 1910
Achille Ferrante, aged 38, who immigrated to America from Fontechiari, Italy, in 1910
Agata Ferrante, aged 4, who settled in America from Toretto, Italy, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferrante (post 1700) +

Bob Jude Ferrante (b. 1959), American playwright and composer
Damon Ferrante, American composer
Frank Vincent Ferrante (b. 1963), American stage actor, comedian and director, best known for his impressions of Groucho Marx
Jack Anthony "Blackjack" Ferrante (1916-2006), American NFL football end
Russell Keith Ferrante (b. 1952), American jazz pianist, founding member of the group Yellowjackets
Patricia Jean Ferrante, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1972
Andrea Ferrante (b. 1968), Italian composer
Ugo Ferrante (1945-2004), Italian footballer
Elena Ferrante, Italian writer
Marco Ferrante (b. 1971), retired Italian football striker
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)