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| Origins Available: |
| | Italy |
From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Bonan family. 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. 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 common type of family name found in Tuscany is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Bonan is a name for a fortunate person having derived from the words buon, which means good, and anno, which means year, combined to mean good year.
The surname Bonan was first found in Pisa, where in 1130 a Bonanno was a prominent intellectual. Bonanno who was a painter, sculptor, and architect, and who is famous for the bronze doors of the Cathedral in Pisa which he finished in the 12th century. Another of his accomplishments is the leaning tower at Pisa, which he constructed with Gugliemo Tedesco in 1174.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonan research. The years 1545, 1638, 1723 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Bonan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Bonan include Bonanno, Bonanni, Buonanno, Buonanni, Bonano, Bonan and many more.
Prominent among members of the family was
An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Bonan: