Caprara History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Piedmont emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Caprara 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 Piedmont 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 Caprara is a name for a goat, having derived its origin from the Italian word capra.

Early Origins of the Caprara family

The surname Caprara was first found in the year 1100, when the Caprìs family lived in the region.

Early History of the Caprara family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caprara research. The years 1203, 1360, 1448, 1562 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Caprara History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caprara Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Caprara include Capra, Cavra, Crava, Chiabra, Caprini, Caprino, Caprin, Caprìs, Caprioli, Capriolo, Capriotti, Capruzzi, Caproni, Capraro, Caprari, Caprara, Caprile, Caprili, Capraliano, Capraliana, Capraliàn, Capraliani, Capriati, Cavrini, Cavrotti, Cavrulli, Cavriani, Cravetti, Cravini, Cravino, Cravìn, Cravotta, Capraia, Craviotto, Cravari, Cravarolo, Craveri, Cravero, Chiabrero, Chiabrera and many more.

Early Notables of the Caprara family

Prominent among members of the family was Anselmo and Rodolfo Capraia, brothers who were knights in Buggiano around 1203; Benedetto Capra was a famous author in Perugia in the 14th century; Bartolomeo della Capra of Crema was the secretary of Pope Innocenzo VII in 1360; Francesco della Capra was a politician in Milan in 1448 who had close...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caprara Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Caprara family

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Caprara, or a variant listed above: Mr. Capraliàn, who arrived in New York city in 1882; Antonio Capra, aged 38, who arrived at Ellis Island from S.Polo, Italy, in 1921; Attilio Capra, aged 18, who arrived at Ellis Island from Pescantina, Italy, in 1914.

Contemporary Notables of the name Caprara (post 1700) +

Giovanni Caprara (b. 1962), Italian women's volleyball head coach of the Russian women's team (2005-2008)
Giovanni Battista Caprara Montecuccoli (1733-1810), Italian statesman, cardinal and Archbishop of Milan from 1802 to 1810
Count Aeneas Sylvius de Caprara (1631-1701), Austrian Field Marshal during the Nine Years' War