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| Origins Available: |
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The distinguished surname Costanza can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. 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 Sicily 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 surname Costanza was derived from the personal name Costante, which means firm, constant or steadfast.
The surname Costanza was first found in 1182, when the Costanzo family settled in Pozzuoli, a town outside of Naples.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Costanza research. The years 1436, 1704, 1710, 1754 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Costanza History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Costanza include Costanzo, Costanzi, Costanza, and De Costanzo and others.
Prominent among members of the family was Antonio Costanzi, born in Fano in 1436, who was a teacher; Giacomo Costanzi, Antonio's brother, opened his own school in Fano around this time; Camillo Costanzo was a soldier and studied civil law in Reggio Calabria during the late 16th century; Simone Costanzi was very famous in Rome during the 17th century for his involvement with the church...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Costanza Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Costanza is the 13,554th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Immigrants bearing the name Costanza or a variant listed above include: