| ![Show Contents]() Toni History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Italy Toni is one of the surnames to have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of Tuscany. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. This process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries, but it was not completed until the modern era. The patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, was one of the most common names created at that time in the region of Tuscany. The surname Toni came from the given name Antonius, which in English is known in the forms Anthony and Antony. The given name Antonius means inestimable or strength. The Toni family surname has its roots in the ancient Roman period and possibly earlier, in the Etruscan period. The most famous member of this family is Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius), the famous Roman general, politician and orator born in 83 B.C. Antony was of a distinguished family related to Julius Caesar. After Caesar's assassination Antony aroused the masses against the conspirators who murdered his relative and patron. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of his life was his love affair with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The tragic end of this couple has been the subject of much literature, including one of Shakespeare's plays. Early History of the Toni familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toni research. The years 1355, 1372, 1374, 1430, 1540, 1617, 1643, 1668, 1684, 1697, 1700, 1725, 1726 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Toni History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Toni Spelling VariationsItalian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Toni. These spelling variations include Antony, Anthony, Antni, Antnia, Antnio, Antoni, Antonia, Antonio, De Antoni, Di Antonio, Antonèllo, D'Antonio, Antonello, Antonelli, Antonetti, Antonetto, Antonietti, Antonazzi, Antonazzo, Antoniutti, Antonioli, Antuoni, Antonino, Antonicelli, Antonucci, Antognini, Antognetti, Antognoli, Toni, Tony, Tonelli, Tonicello, Tonello, Tonino, Tonini, Tonizzo, Tonolli and many more. Early Notables of the Toni familyProminent among members of the family was - Antonia of Baux (c. 1355-1374), the second Queen consort of Frederick III, King of Sicily (1372-1374.) Antonio de Messina, was a painter in Messina, born in 1430. He specialized in still life, his mos...
- Antonio di Ferraris was a painter from Lombardy during the 15th century whose works are featured in a castle in Pavia. Nicolás Antonio (1617-1684), was a Spanish bibliographer from Seville and Francis...
Migration of the Toni familyAmongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Toni were Joseph Antonio, who sailed to Virginia in 1641; Giuseppe Anthony who arrived in New York in 1820; Angello Anthony moved to Mobile Alabama in 1840; Don Antonio arrived in New York in 1822, and Josephine Antonini came to New York in 1845..
| Contemporary Notables of the name Toni (post 1700) | + |
- Ann Toni Kereiakes, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1996 1
- Toni Chloe Anthony Morrison (1931-2019), American author and one of the most prominent authors in world literature, having won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 for her novel "Beloved" and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 for her collected works, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Toni Elling (1928-2023), born Rosita Sims, also known by her stage name Satin Doll, was an American burlesque dancer, inducted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2016
- Toni Stricker (1930-2022), Austrian composer and violinist
- Toni Bestard (b. 1973), Spanish director and writer, known for Background (2018), I Am Your Father (2015) and Equipajes (2006)
- Toni Eggert (b. 1988), German luger who has competed since 2008, silver medalist at the 2000 Winter Olympics
- Toni Santagata (1935-2021), stage name of Antonio Morese, an Italian folk singer, composer, comedian and actor
- Toni Di Buono, born as Antoinette Di Buono, American actress, known for her roles in Mathnet (1987), Daredevil (2015) and Square One Television (1987)
- Toni Claudette Antonucci (b. 1948), American psychologist, currently the Elizabeth R. Douvan Collegiate Professor at University of Michigan and formerly President of Gerontological Society of America
- Toni Tetzlaff (1871-1947), German stage and film actress
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