Quinter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Quinter was first found in Messina (Sicilian: Missina; Latin: Messana), capital of the Italian province of Messina. Its history begins in 397 B.C. After a checkered history the Saracens took it in 831, and the Normans in 1061. It was host to the crusaders in 1190. Garibaldi landed in 1860 and it was the last city to be made a part of united Italy. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry. The family were originally a noble family from Spain at Duegnas. The heads of this family in Spain in 1660 were the Marques de Quintana del Marco of Galicia and the Marques de Quintana de las Torres, a Caballero of Calatrava.