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| Origins Available: |
| | Italy |
From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Cabrini. 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 surname Cabrini was first found in the Sicilian city of Aragona. In 1040, Ponzo Cabrera was Viscount of Cabrera, Girona, and Anger.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cabrini research. The years 1368, 1510, 1740 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Cabrini History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Cabrini include Cabral, Cabras, Cabrera, Cabrini, Cabrone, Cabrino, Cabrotto, Cabrotti, Cabrilli, Cabroni, Cabrillo, Cabrollo and many more.
Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was
An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Cabrini arrived in North America very early: Melchora Cabral, and Francesca Cabrera, both of whom arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1778.