Show ContentsCavalieri History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Cavalieri comes from the words "cavallaro," which means a horse dealer; or from "cavalieri," meaning a horseman, rider or knight.

Early Origins of the Cavalieri family

The surname Cavalieri was first found in at Ferrara, a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara, one of the more prosperous cities at this early time. Records locate the Cavalieri family in Ferrara as early as the 9th century, when Giovanni Cavalieri defended his vast lands against the Venetians.

Early History of the Cavalieri family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cavalieri research. The years 1259, 1344, 1450, 1454, 1500, 1508, 1550, 1590, 1602, 1616, 1620, 1656, 1676, 1684, 1735, 1761 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Cavalieri History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavalieri 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 Cavalieri include Cavalli, Cavallo, Cavalletti, Cavalletto, Cavallini, Cavallino, Cavallina, Cavallìn, Cavallucci, Cavalluccio, Cavalluzzi, Cavallotti, Cavallotto, Cavallone, Cavallacci, Cavallazzi, Cavallari, Cavallaro, Cavallàr, Cavalleri, Cavallero, Cavaleri, Cavalero, Cavalieri, Cavaliere and many more.

Early Notables of the Cavalieri family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Emilio del Cavalieri, (c. 1550-1590), a 16th century composer
  • Francesco Cavalieri, a 17th century mathematician

Migration of the Cavalieri family

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Cavalieri: Bartolomeo Cavallero, who arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1778 with his wife Maria and his six children; Diego, Antonio, Bartolomeo, Maria, Augustina, Andrea, and Louis Cavalli, who were all naturalized in Detroit in 1833.


Contemporary Notables of the name Cavalieri (post 1700) +

  • Joey Cavalieri, American comic book writer and editor
  • Grace Cavalieri, American award-winning poet, playwright and radio host of "The Poet and the Poem"
  • Paola Cavalieri (b. 1950), Italian philosopher
  • Natalina "Lina" Cavalieri (1874-1944), Italian opera soprano singer, actress, and monologist
  • Ricardo Pascale Cavalieri (1942-2024), Uruguayan economist, professor, and sculptor
  • Diego Cavalieri (b. 1982), Brazilian footballer
  • Caterina Magdalena Giuseppa Cavalieri (1755-1801), Austrian soprano


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