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The distinguished surname Gatta originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States 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 Gatta came from a person who was agile, cunning or perhaps sly.
The surname Gatta was first found in the city of Gaeta, with the noble Gattola family in 1091.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gatta research. The years 1431, 1500, 1522, 1571, 1723, 1750 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Gatta History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Gatta are Gatti, Gatto, Gatta, Gatte, Gattola, Gattinara, Gattamelata, Lo Gatto, La Gatta, Gattelli, Gattini, Gattoli, Gattolin, Gattulli, Gattullo, Gattai, Gattei, Gatteschi 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 Gatta or a variant listed above: Antonio L.F. Gatte, who arrived in New York City in 1820 at the age of 17; Adamo Gatti, aged 38, who arrived at Ellis Island from Sandrio, Italy, in 1905.