Show ContentsRiccardo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Riccardo surname comes from the personal (first) name Riccardo, which is the Italian cognate of Richard.

Early Origins of the Riccardo family

The surname Riccardo was first found in Sardinia (Italian: Sardegna, Sardinian: Sardigna), the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The original inhabitants were Sicels. The Greeks colonized the island in 735 B.C. and Phoenician settlements began in 6th century. The Carthaginians arrived in 410, followed by the Romans. After the decline of Rome, the island was under the power of the Saracens. Then in 1057, Sicily was conquered by the Normans. The time of conquest is said to be Sicily's brightest hour, having made the Sicilians the leading Maritime power in the Mediterranean and King Roger of Sicily one of Europe's greatest kings. 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.

Early History of the Riccardo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Riccardo research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1368, 1449, 1566, 1585, 1602, 1639 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Riccardo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riccardo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rizzardi, Riccardi, Riccardo, Ricciardi, Ricciardo, Riccardini, Ricciardella, Rizzardini, Cardini, Cardazzo and many more.

Early Notables of the Riccardo family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Riccardo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Riccardo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Riccardo Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Bronzo Riccardo, who arrived in New York in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Riccardo (post 1700) +

  • Martin V. Riccardo (b. 1957), American writer, researcher, and lecturer on vampires
  • Guerrino Riccardo Brusati (1945-2023), Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Caetité from 2003 to 2015 and Janaúba from 2015 to 2019
  • Riccardo Giovanelli PhD. (1946-2022), Italian-born Professor in Astronomy at Cornell University, recipient of the Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences (1989)
  • Riccardo Fortunati (b. 1968), birth name of Ricky Memphis, an Italian television and film actor, best known for his role as Inspector Mauro Belli, in the police drama series, Distretto di Polizia ('Police Precinct')
  • Riccardo Dalisi (1931-2022), Italian architect and designer from Potenza, Italy
  • Riccardo Ehrman (1929-2021), Italian journalist whose question at a government press conference in the former East Germany is said to have precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall
  • Riccardo Fortini (1957-2009), Italian high jumper who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Riccardo Zappa, American composer, known for his work on Little Flames (1985)
  • Riccardo Garrone (1926-2016), Italian film actor who appeared in more than 140 films from 1949 until 2014
  • Riccardo Benay Ingram (1966-2015), American former Major League Baseball player who played from 1994 to 1995


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