Show ContentsCortese History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cortese family

The surname Cortese was first found in Cremona a city in Lombardy, capital of the province of Cremona. Founded by the Romans in 218 it has a checkered history. Virgil studied here. The finest building is the cathedral in the Lombard Romanesque style. It was started in 1107. There are many frescos from the 16th century. It was Austrian in 1814, but became a part of Italy in 1859. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry. The family were first found in the year 1184 at the time of the Norman occupation. They emerged in 1387 as a patrician family. Claudio was a senior senator of the city in that year.

Early History of the Cortese family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cortese research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1798 is included under the topic Early Cortese History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cortese Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cortesi, Cortisi, Cortesini, Cortesonni, Cortesoni, Corteseni, Corti, Corteseni, Cortesenni, Corestinni and many more.

Early Notables of the Cortese family

More information is included under the topic Early Cortese Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cortese Ranking

In the United States, the name Cortese is the 9,251st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Cortese migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cortese Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Chris Cortese, who settled in Texas sometime between 1850 and 1906
  • Chris Cortese, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 2
Cortese Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Aneta Cortese, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from San Ponzo, Torino, in 1901
  • Angelo Cortese, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Giovinazzo, Bari, in 1909
  • Amanda Cortese, aged 4, who settled in America from Pettorano, Italy, in 1910
  • Angela Cortese, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Vizzini, Italy, in 1912
  • Joseph Cortese, who settled in New York in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cortese (post 1700) +

  • Bob Cortese (b. 1943), former American football player and coach
  • Laura Cortese, American singer, songwriter, and fiddler
  • David D. "Dave" Cortese (b. 1956), American politician from California
  • Daniels Holderby Cortése (b. 1982), American full lyric soprano
  • Joseph Cortese (b. 1949), American actor
  • Genevieve Nicole Cortese (b. 1981), American actress
  • Daniel James "Dan" Cortese (b. 1967), American actor, director and spokesperson
  • Giulio Cesare Cortese (1570-1640), Italian author and poet
  • Roberto Cortese (b. 1984), Italian professional football player
  • Isabella Cortese (b. 1561), Italian alchemist and writer
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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