| ![Show Contents]() Montanaro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Italy From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Venice emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Montanaro. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt 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 Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Montanaro family lived on a mountain or near a mountainous area. The name Montagna is derived from the Italian word montagna or montano, which means a mountain. Sometimes the name was used for someone who came from Montagna. Early Origins of the Montanaro familyThe surname Montanaro was first found in numerous regions, although Venice is the city of origin for both Montagna and Montan branches. Montana was widespread in Sicily, Montano and Montani in Liguria, Montanelli in Tuscany, and Montanari in Emilia Romagna. The name and its variants all stem from people who lived in or near mountainous regions. Early History of the Montanaro familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montanaro research. The years 1406, 1440, 1450, 1523, 1608, 1633 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Montanaro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Montanaro Spelling VariationsItalian 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 Montanaro include Montagnano, Montagnini, Montagnoni, Montan, Montanari, Montanarini, Montanaro, Montanelli, Montani, Montano, Montana, Montagnino and many more. Early Notables of the Montanaro familyProminent among members of the family was Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Vicenza and Venice, and founder of the school of Vicenza, with works able to be seen today in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and frescoes in the Church of Santi Nazaro e Celso in Verona; Geminiano Montanari (1633-1687), Italian astronomer and lens-maker, eponym of the Montanari...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Montanaro Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Montanaro migration to the United States | + |
Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Montanaro or a variant listed above:
Montanaro Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Alepandro Montanaro, aged 22, who settled in America from Mapafia, Italy, in 1907
- Alfredo Montanaro, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States from Massafra, Italy, in 1907
- Antonetta Montanaro, aged 5, who immigrated to the United States from Zaeto, Italy, in 1907
- Angelo Montanaro, aged 22, who landed in America from Letino, Italy, in 1910
- Andrea Montanaro, aged 57, who immigrated to the United States from L. Colombano, Italy, in 1910
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Montanaro (post 1700) | + |
- Tony Montanaro (1927-2002), American internationally acclaimed mime artist, director, and teacher
- Donato A. Montanaro, American Chairman & CEO of online brokerage firm TradeKing
- Frank A. Montanaro, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Rhode Island State House of Representatives 15th District; Elected 2002; Member of Democratic National Committee from Rhode Island, 2004-08 1
- Sabino Augusto Montanaro, Paraguayan politician
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Montanaro migration to the United States 
