Bonanni History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Bonanni family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. 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. Although the most common type of family name found in Tuscany 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 Bonanni is a name for a fortunate person having derived from the words buon, which means good, and anno, which means year, combined to mean good year.

Early Origins of the Bonanni family

The surname Bonanni was first found in Pisa, where in 1130 a Bonanno was a prominent intellectual. Bonanno who was a painter, sculptor, and architect, and who is famous for the bronze doors of the Cathedral in Pisa which he finished in the 12th century. Another of his accomplishments is the leaning tower at Pisa, which he constructed with Gugliemo Tedesco in 1174.

Early History of the Bonanni family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonanni research. The years 1545, 1638, 1723 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Bonanni History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonanni Spelling Variations

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 Bonanni include Bonanno, Bonanni, Buonanno, Buonanni, Bonano, Bonan and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonanni family

Prominent among members of the family was

Pietro Bonanni of Carrara was a respected painter in 1800

Bonanni migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Bonanni were found:

Bonanni Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Augusto Bonanni, aged 23, who landed in America from Scheyzia, in 1897

Bonanni Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Antonio Bonanni, aged 28, who immigrated to America from Supino, Italy, in 1907
Agusto Bonanni, aged 35, who landed in America from Scheggia, Italy, in 1909
Antonia Bonanni, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Scheggia, Italy, in 1909
Amedeo Bonanni, aged 20, who landed in America from Bagno, Aquila, Italy, in 1910
Aleidiade Bonanni, aged 24, who settled in America from Trivigliano, Italy, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonanni (post 1700) +

Mario Bonanni (b. 1952), Italian professional footballer
Filippo Bonanni (1638-1723), Italian Jesuit scholar
Massimo Bonanni (b. 1982), Italian footballer
Mariángela Haydée Manuela Bonanni Randazzo (b. 1988), Venezuelan beauty pageant titleholder