Show ContentsMassar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Tuscany, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Massar. 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; 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 Tuscany is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common that other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent, that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Massar is a name for a person who worked on a farm as a manager deriving its origin from the ancient Italian word massaio.

Early Origins of the Massar family

The surname Massar was first found in the town of Lucca. Records are found in 1285 with Mazzeo di Gerardo Mazzei, mayor of the Commune of Pietrasanta.

Early History of the Massar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Massar research. The years 1439, 1450, 1516, 1526, 1569, 1633, 1653, 1687, 1723, 1730, 1766 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Massar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Massar Spelling Variations

There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Massar are Massari, Massaro, Amassari, Massai, Massarelli, Massarini, Massarino, Massarin, Massaroli, Massarolli, Massariolo, Massarotti, Massarotto, Massarutti, Massarutto, Massarut, Massardo, Massarente, Massarenti, Massiani, Massei and many more.

Early Notables of the Massar family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Apollonio Massiani, Bishop of Savona in 1439. Antonio del Massaro (1450-1516), was an Italian painter. Virginio Massiani was a Captain in Siena in 1526
  • Nicol di Pietro Massei was a military Captain in Lucca under Cosimo I and was prominent in the battle against Siena. Count Milan Massari received his noble title from the Pope for his value to the soc...
  • Giorgio Massari (1687-1766), was a prominent Venetian architect during the early 18th century; Bartolomeo Mazzei was Cardinal in Romagna in 1730; the Massei family in Umbria were Lords of the castles...
  • Angelo Massarotti (1653-1723) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in his native Cremona


United States Massar migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Massar:

Massar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jean Massar, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1893
Massar Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Ludwig Massar, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from Edighoun, in 1905
  • Marguerite Massar, aged 3, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1905
  • Roy Massar, aged 28, who immigrated to America from London, in 1905
  • Emma Massar, aged 7, who settled in America from Edighoun, in 1905
  • Stefan Massar, aged 31, who landed in America from Hungary, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Massar (post 1700) +

  • Joseph J. Massar, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Broome County 1st District, 1958 [1]


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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