Show ContentsCostantin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Costantin can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. 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. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Costantin came from the given name Costante, to which many have added the ending "-ino." The name Costante was itself derived from the Latin name Constans, which means firm, constant or steadfast, and is also the participle of the verb constare, which means to stand firm. Constante, in its Latin version Costantinus, was already a surname at the time of the Imperial Age in Rome. This fact, as well as the devotion to the many saints bearing this name, gave rise to the popularity of the name.

Early Origins of the Costantin family

The surname Costantin was first found in the city of Venice, where the earliest records date back to the year 1299, when the Costantini family moved from the town of Concordia to Venice, where they were officially accepted into the noble class.

Early History of the Costantin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Costantin research. The years 1570, 1581, 1600, 1657, 1675, 1750 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Costantin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Costantin Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Costantin include Costante, Costanti, Incostante, Costantini, Costantino, Costantin and many more.

Early Notables of the Costantin family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Michelangelo Costantino, born in the 16th century in Bitonto, a famous architect and engineer
  • Fabio Costantini of Ancona, born in Rome about 1570, a tenor singer in the Vatican choir, who became the conductor in the cathedral in Orvieto around 1600
  • Alessandro Costantini (ca. 1581/83-1657), an Italian baroque composer
  • Angelo Costantini, a well known actor in 1675
  • Antonio Costantini of Padua, an actor who played the well known character Arlecchino, and was also an acrobat
  • Ermenegildo Costantini, a famous painter in Rome around 1750

Migration of the Costantin family

Immigrants bearing the name Costantin or a variant listed above include: Adele Costantino, aged 10, who arrived at Ellis Island from Coppolli, Italy, in 1920; Agnese Costantino, aged 16, who arrived at Ellis Island from Coppolli, Italy, in 1920.



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