Show ContentsFerrantes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Ferrantes 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 Ferrantes 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 Ferrantes family

The surname Ferrantes 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 Ferrantes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferrantes 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 Ferrantes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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

Early Notables of the Ferrantes 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 Ferrantes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ferrantes family

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Ferrantes C. Ferranda, who arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1825 at the age of 35, Cesare Ferrante, who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the steamship ".



Houseofnames.com on Facebook