Show ContentsGambaro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Gambaro family. 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 common type of family name found in the region of Venice 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 Gambaro came from a person with some peculiarity of the legs or a strange walk. The surname Gambara is derived from the late Latin word gamba, which means knee, bend, or joint.

Early Origins of the Gambaro family

The surname Gambaro was first found in Venice where as early as the 6th century, members of the Gambara family were leaders in the military.

Early History of the Gambaro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gambaro research. The years 1476 and 1485 are included under the topic Early Gambaro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gambaro 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 Gambaro include Gamba, Gambi, Gambella, Gambelli, Gambetta, Gambetti, Gambitta, Gambino, Gambini, Gambin, Gambuzza, Gambozza, Gambato, Gambuti, Gambacorta, Gambadoro, Gambalesta, Gambalunga, Gambelunghe, Gambilongo, Gambacorti, Gambaloita, Gambarini, Gambazocca and many more.

Early Notables of the Gambaro family

Prominent among members of the family was Veronica Gambara, a poet in Brescia around 1485 who was of a noble family and married the Lord of Correggio. Giovanni Gamba was a professor of literature at the University of Pisa; members of the Gambacorti family of Naples were recognized as nobility in Naples, Messina, and Sciacca; Modesto Gambacorti was the Deputy of the Reign of Sicily. Lotto Gambacorti of Pisa was...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gambaro Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Gambaro 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 Gambaro or a variant listed above:

Gambaro Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Esteban Gambaro, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 1
Gambaro Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Anna Gambaro, aged 19, who settled in America from Palermo, in 1904
  • Carmina Gambaro, aged 18, who landed in America from Morra Irpino, in 1906
  • Anfonso Gambaro, aged 41, who landed in America from Cleto, Italy, in 1910
  • Carlo Gambaro, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Castano, Italy, in 1913
  • Battista Gambaro, aged 34, who landed in America from Romentino, Italy, in 1914
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. 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)


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