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| Origins Available: |
| | Italy |
From the historical and enchanting Italian region of the islands of Sicily emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Cianci family. 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 common type of family name found in Sicily 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 Cianci is a name for a person of small financial means. The surname Cianfari is derived from the Italian words cianfrone and cianferone, which referred to a type of medieval coin.
The surname Cianci was first found in the year 1610, when the Cianciolo family moved from the city of Piazza to Messina.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cianci research. The years 1666, 1720 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Cianci History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Cianci include Ciani, Cejani, Cianciolo, Cianciulli, Cianciullo, Cianciulla, Ciancioli, Cianchi, Chianco, Cianca, Cian, Cianfarani and many more.
Prominent among members of the family was
Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cianci or a variant listed above: Alfonso Ciancio, aged 35, who arrived at Ellis Island from Lunatola, Italy, in 1913; Alfonso Ciancio, aged 22, who arrived at Ellis Island from S. Severno, Italy, in 1914.