Caponi 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 Caponi 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 Caponi is a name for person who was the chief of the head from the Italian personal name Capo.

Early Origins of the Caponi family

The surname Caponi was first found in Florence (Italian: Firenze), where earliest records show Tenzone Caponsacco lived with his family in 1071. Other important people include Francesco Capi of Siena, a theologian who became Archbishop of Venice in 1461; Giacomo Capi was a knight in Mantua during the 15th century; Giovanni Francesco Capi was a knight and diplomat in Mantua around the same time.

Early History of the Caponi family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caponi research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1391, 1404, 1532, 1610, 1612, 1812 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Caponi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caponi 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 Caponi include Capo, Capone, Caponi, Caponio, Caponetto, Caponetti, Caponnetto, Capoccia, Capi, Capozzi, Capocci, Capoccetti, Capoccioni, Capozza, Capozzo, Capozio and many more.

Early Notables of the Caponi family

Prominent among members of the family was Ludovico Capi of Mantua worked for the House of Savoy in 1532; Giulio Capone of Otratanto was a prominent theologian and lawyer in 1612; Ridolfo Capoferro or Capo Ferro of Cagli, Italian fencing...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caponi Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Caponi family

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Caponi were found: Antonia Capozza, aged 40, who arrived at Ellis Island from Laviano in 1897; Agostino Capozza, aged 40, who arrived at Ellis Island in 1896; Domenico Capuano, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1843.

Contemporary Notables of the name Caponi (post 1700) +

Donna Caponi -Byrnes (b. 1945), American LPGA Tour professional golfer, inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame
Aldo Caponi (b. 1939), Italian singer and author who uses the stage name Don Backy
Marco Antonio Caponi (b. 1983), Argentine actor