Gatti History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The distinguished surname Gatti originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. 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 the Papal States 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 Gatti came from a person who was agile, cunning or perhaps sly.

Early Origins of the Gatti family

The surname Gatti was first found in the city of Gaeta, with the noble Gattola family in 1091.

Early History of the Gatti family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gatti research. The years 1431, 1500, 1522, 1571, 1723, 1750 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Gatti History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gatti Spelling Variations

There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Gatti are Gatti, Gatto, Gatta, Gatte, Gattola, Gattinara, Gattamelata, Lo Gatto, La Gatta, Gattelli, Gattini, Gattoli, Gattolin, Gattulli, Gattullo, Gattai, Gattei, Gatteschi and many more.

Early Notables of the Gatti family

Prominent among members of the family was

Erasmo Gattamelata who was Commander of the Papal armies in 1431, and from this gained noble status in the Venetian Republic. Bernardino Gatti, a painter in Pavia around 1500, was known as "Il Solaro"...
Luigi Gatti of Mantua was a composer of operas, oratorios, and church music around 1750. The Gatta family of Sicily owned 31 feudal territories and was recognized as nobility in 17 cities around Italy...
Luca-Antonio Gatta was Bishop of Bitonto in 1723 and held the position later in Melfi and Rapolla. Filippo Gattinara was the chamberlain of Napoleon in 1806

Gatti Ranking

In the United States, the name Gatti is the 14,625^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Gatti is ranked the 4,823^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Gatti 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 Gatti or a variant listed above:

Gatti Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Gatti, aged 33, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 3
John Gatti, who arrived in Mississippi in 1845 3
Cataldo Gatti, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1892
Arthur Gatti, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1893
Aless Gatti of Genoa, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gatti Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Joseph Gatti, who was naturalized in Kansas in 1902
Adamo Gatti, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States from Sandrio, Italy, in 1905
Alberto Gatti, aged 14, who landed in America from Ruino, Italy, in 1910
Agostino Gatti, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Rocchetto, Italy, in 1911
Adolfo Gatti, aged 6, who settled in America from Castelluccio, Italy, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gatti (post 1700) +

Arturo Gatti, Canadian-born, American boxer, who turned professional in 1991
John Gatti, American politician, Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, 1971-73 4
Marcello Gatti (1924-2013), Italian five-time Nastro d'Argento Award winning cinematographer
Guido Maria Gatti, born in Chieti, a musicologist and music critic, prominent especially during the early 20th century
Dr. Rupert Gatti, British lecturer in Economics at the University of Cambridge, England

Historic Events for the Gatti family +

RMS Titanic

Signore Gaspare Antonio Pietro "Luigi" Gatti (d. 1912), aged 37, English Restaurant Manager from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic, died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Minia 5

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html