Macci History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

Tuscany, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Macci. 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; 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 Tuscany is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common that other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent, that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Macci is a name for a person who worked as a stainer, one who stained materials, or perhaps removed stains. The surname is derived from the Italian word macchia.

Early Origins of the Macci family

The surname Macci was first found in throughout Italy, where the Macci family, who are recorded as belonging to the Ghibelline party in 1286.

Early History of the Macci family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Macci research. The years 1286, 1347, 1424 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Macci History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macci Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Macci. These spelling variations include Macchi, Macci, Macchio, Maconi, Machi, Maccio, Macchione, Macchioni, MacchIona, Maccolini, Machelli, Machirelli, Machinghi and many more.

Early Notables of the Macci family

Prominent among members of the family was

Ser Andrea Macci of Florence, a priest in 1286

Migration of the Macci family

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Macci were Mani Machi, who arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1835; Alfio Machi, aged 32, who arrived at Ellis Island from Mirto, Sicily in 1909; Anna Machi, aged 49, who arrived at Ellis Island from S. Elia in 1898.

Contemporary Notables of the name Macci (post 1700) +

Rick Macci (b. 1954), American national tennis coach, United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional, seven-time USPTA national coach of the year, inducted into the USPTA Florida Hall of Fame in 2010