Malatesta History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Malatesta 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 Malatesta came from a stubborn person. The surname Malatesta is composed of the Italian words mala meaning bad and testa, which signifies head.

Early Origins of the Malatesta family

The surname Malatesta was first found in the city of Rimini, famous today for its summer beach festivities. Records are found with Malatesta del Montefeltro family in 1186, when many members of this family were known as talented soldiers and brave knights.

Early History of the Malatesta family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Malatesta research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1312, 1317, 1327, 1368, 1372, 1373, 1414, 1416, 1417, 1433, 1440, 1468 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Malatesta History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Malatesta Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Malatesta include Malatesta and others.

Early Notables of the Malatesta family

Prominent among members of the family was

Roberto Malatesta, who became Lord of Rimini in 1440 and devoted his life to arms construction. Members of this family were also prominent as intellectuals, such as Battista Malatesta, who taught phil...
Andrea Malatesta (1373-1416), an Italian condottiero
Cleofa Malatesta (died 1433), an Italian noblewoman
Malatestino Malatesta (died 1317), the Lord of Rimini from 1312 until his death

Malatesta migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Malatesta:

Malatesta Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lorenzo Malatesta, who arrived in Hancock County, Miss in 1887 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Malatesta (post 1700) +

Fred Malatesta (1889-1952), Italian-born, American film actor who appeared in 118 films between 1915 and 1941
Stephen Malatesta (b. 1887), American Republican politician, Member of California Republican State Central Committee, 1946-48; Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1948 (alternate), 1952 2
Antoinette Malatesta, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000 2
Simone Malatesta (b. 1982), Italian footballer
Guido Malatesta (1919-1970), Italian film director and screenwriter
Adeodato Malatesta (1806-1891), Italian painter trained in a grand Neoclassical style
Enrico Maria Malatesta (b. 1976), Italian professional football player
Enrico Malatesta (1853-1932), Italian anarchist

Citations +

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 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html