Show ContentsDecaro History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Decaro. 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. Local names, also found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Decaro family lived in a town just outside Palermo, as in 1189, a member of the Caro family was the Archbishop of Monreale.

Early Origins of the Decaro family

The surname Decaro was first found in Sicily (Italian: Sicilia), the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Naples and the southern portion of the peninsula. Research shows that records of the Decaro family date back to the year 1189 when a member of the Caro family was the Archbishop of Monreale, a town just outside Palermo.

Early History of the Decaro family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Decaro research. The years 1460, 1470, 1499, 1507, 1508, 1520, 1525, 1543, 1557, 1566, 1571, 1602, 1610, 1653, 1713, 1725, 1770, 1825 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Decaro History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Decaro 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 Decaro include Caro, Cari, Cara, De Caro, Di Caro, Di Cara, La Cara, Li Cari, Carello, Carelli, Carella, Carillo, Caretti, Caroli, Caretta, Carino, Carini, Caruccio, Carucci, Carocci, Carracci, Caricchio, Caricchia, Carollo, Carullo, Carulli, Carotti, Carone, Caroni, Carofiglio, Carofratello, Carolillo, Carotenuto and many more.

Early Notables of the Decaro family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was Marchetto Cara (c. 1470-1525), an Italian composer, lutenist and singer of the Renaissance.Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, (1571-1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. He is most famous for his technique of "Chiaroscuro" or light and dark contrast. Some of his most famous works include The Calling of St. Matthew, and David with the Head of Goliath.Polidoro Caldara, usually known as Polidoro da Caravaggio (c. 1499-1543) was an Italian painter of the Mannerist period...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Decaro Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Decaro Ranking

In the United States, the name Decaro is the 15,543rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Decaro family

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Decaro: Miss Cara, who sailed to New Orleans in 1821, and S. Caro, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851.


Contemporary Notables of the name Decaro (post 1700) +

  • Matt DeCaro, American film and stage actor and film actor, known for Eagle Eye (2008), U.S. Marshals (1998) and Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994
  • Frank DeCaro (b. 1962), American writer, performer and talk radio host
  • Lara Decaro, British child actress, known for her roles in Les Miserable and The Infiltrator (2016)
  • Dante DeCaro (b. 1981), Canadian former guitarist and songwriter of the Canadian band Hot Hot Heat


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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