Show ContentsRisi History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Risi family

The surname Risi was first found in Norfolk at Castle Rising, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Risinga and was held at that time by William de Warenne and the Bishop of Bayeux. 1 Records of 1254, list the place name as Castel Risinge and probably meant "settlement of the family or followers of a man called Risa," from the Old English personal name + ingas. The later addition of "castel" which evolved to "castle" was derived from the Norman castle that was located there. 2 In 1332, Isabella of France retired to Castle Rising castle following a coup d'état by her son King Edward III. The castle is now a ruined medieval fortification and was built soon after 1138 by William d'Aubigny II.

Early History of the Risi family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Risi research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1227, 1306 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Risi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Risi Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rising, Reising, Risin, Rysing, Rysin, Rysen, Ryson and many more.

Early Notables of the Risi family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Rising of Wode Rising

Migration of the Risi family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: James Rising settled in Bermuda in 1635; D Rising settled in San Francisco in 1850; at that time there were also 3 of the name registered in New York..


Contemporary Notables of the name Risi (post 1700) +

  • Marco Risi (b. 1951), Italian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cinematographer
  • Dino Risi (1916-2008), Italian film director
  • Claudio Risi (1948-2020), Italian film director, son of Dino Risi and brother to Marco Risi
  • Nelo Risi (1920-2015), Italian poet, film director, translator and screenwriter


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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