Navarra History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Spain

From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Navarra. 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. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Sicily 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, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Navarra family lived in the northern Spanish province of Navarra. According to etymologists, the place-name Navarra is derived from the Basque word nava, or naba, which means "plain near the mountains."

Early Origins of the Navarra family

The surname Navarra was first found in the island of Malta where Giovanni Navarro was found. From this family, Ugolino and Andrea Navarro attained government over the island of Gozzo and in 1453 Andrea became Lord of the feudal territory of Miraglia.

Early History of the Navarra family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Navarra research. More information is included under the topic Early Navarra History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Navarra 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 Navarra include Navarra, Navarria, Navarro, Navarri, Navarrino, Navarrini, Navarino and many more.

Early Notables of the Navarra family

Prominent among members of the family was Pietro Navarro, a General in the army of King Ferdinand The Catholic, troupes which succeeded in ousting the French from San Germano. After this victory, he was sent to Barbiera, where...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Navarra Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Navarra Ranking

In the United States, the name Navarra is the 8,544^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Navarra migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Navarra or a variant listed above:

Navarra Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jaime Navarra, aged 27, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1833 2
Isabel Navarra, who arrived in Mexico in 1836 2

Navarra Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Angela Navarra, aged 4, who settled in America from Polasso S. Gero. Italy, in 1909
Annunziata Navarra, aged 6, who landed in America from Napoli, Italy, in 1911
Adelina Navarra, aged 18, who immigrated to America from S. Potitl, Italy, in 1911
Alessandro Navarra, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Melfi, Italy, in 1913
Alberto Navarra, aged 54, who landed in America from Castellamare, Sicily, in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Navarra (post 1700) +

Mosé Navarra (b. 1974), Italian tennis player from Loano
André-Nicolas Navarra (1911-1988), French cellist and cello teacher

Citations +

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