| ![Show Contents]() Geneva History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Italy The Geneva family can trace its noble origins to the Italian region of Piedmont. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames 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, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Geneva family lived in Genoa in Liguria. Genoa was one of the greatest seaports along the Mediterranean in the medieval era. Interestingly, the name was also a nickname for someone who was born or baptized in January and may have been derived from the Latin Janus. Early Origins of the Geneva familyThe surname Geneva was first found in the 13th century, when Giovanni Genoese moved his family from Genoa to Reggio-Calabria. Genua, is the ancient Ligurian name for the modern Italian city of Genoa. Early History of the Geneva familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Geneva research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1491, 1563 and 1731 are included under the topic Early Geneva History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Geneva Spelling VariationsItalian 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 Geneva include Genova, Genua, Genovese, Genovesi, Genoese, Genuardi, Genoino, Genoves and many more. Early Notables of the Geneva familyProminent among members of the family was the many members of the family from the Piedmontese tradition include 26 Senators and many Knights of Malta from the Genoese family of Reggio-Calabria. Lucchino Genoese was judge of Calabria in 1370; the Genoino family in Naples was recognized as one of the few noble families during the 14th century. Marcantonio Genua (1491-1563) (Marco Antonio Passeri) was a Renaissance Aristotelian philosopher. Emperor Charles VI...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Geneva Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Geneva familySome of the first North American settlers with Geneva name or one of its variants: Antonio Genovese, settling in Texas in 1902 at the age of 21; Anna Genovese, aged 29, who arrived at Ellis Island from Barcellona, Italy, in 1923; Anna Genovese, aged 53, who arrived at Ellis Island from S Piero Patti, Sicily, in 1916.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Geneva (post 1700) | + |
- Inez Geneva Trueman (1917-2015), American-born, Canadian politician, Member of the Manitoba legislature from 1969 to 1973
- Geneva Casebolt, American benefactor to the Southwest Baptist University, eponym of the Casebolt Music Center and Casebolt Apartments and the Geneva Casebolt College of Arts & Science
- Geneva G. McNeal, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1949; Candidate for Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1952
- Geneva J. Olmsted, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Treasurer, 1946 1
- Geneva Finstad, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 58th District, 1992 1
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