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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2012
Where did the Italian Malatesta family come from? What is the Italian Malatesta family crest and coat of arms? When did the Malatesta family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Malatesta family history? 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. 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 and others. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Malatesta: Malatesta Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
The Malatesta Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Malatesta Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname. This page was last modified on 20 September 2011 at 11:42. ©2000-2012 Swyrich Corporation. See Terms of Use for details. houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation. Tools
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