| ![Show Contents]() Bigi History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Italy The distinguished surname Bigi can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. 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 were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. 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. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Bigi came from the personal name "Bixio." The original Latin form Bixius means gray, and would have been given to someone who had gray hair or a gray beard, or who habitually dressed in gray. Early Origins of the Bigi familyThe surname Bigi was first found in the city of Correggio, which lies east of Parma. It was in Correggio that Pietro Bisi was a knight in 1504. A few years later, Lodovico Bisi of Ferrara, a commander for the archbishop of Colonia in the 16th century. Early History of the Bigi familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bigi research. The years 1568, 1611, 1662, 1787 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Bigi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bigi Spelling VariationsThere 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 Bigi are Bisio, Bixio, Bisi, Bissi, Biggino, Biggio, Biggi, Bigio, Bigi, Biselli, Bisetti and many more. Early Notables of the Bigi familyProminent among members of the family was - Nanni di Baccio Bigio, a pseudonym of Giovanni Lippi (died 1568), an Italian architect of the 16th century
Migration of the Bigi familyIn the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Bigi were found: Abranio Bixio, aged 26 who arrived at Ellis Island from Genova, Italy South in 1906; Eugenio Bixio, aged 18 who arrived at Ellis Island from Lestri Levante, Italy in 1912.
 |
