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The distinguished surname Clementi can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. 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. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures.
The Clementi surname is a patronymic or plural form of the personal name Clemente, from the Latin "clemens," which means "mild" or "merciful."
The surname Clementi was first found in Rimini, and date back to the 12th century, when Giordano Clementini was a military commander during the expedition to the Orient.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clementi research. The years 1158, 1550, 1700, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1752, 1759 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Clementi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Italian 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 Clementi. These spelling variations include Clementi, Clemente, Chimenti, Chimento, Chimienti, Chiumenti, Chiommiente, De Clemente, Di Clemente, Clementini, Clementucci, Clemenza, Clemenzo and many more.
Prominent among members of the family was
The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Clementi: Vincent Clementie, who was on record in Ontario in 1871; and Nicola Amatangelo Clemento, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1899.