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| Origins Available: |
| | Italy |
The Italian people originally used only a single name, but it became necessary for people to adopt a second name, or surname to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent in the Middle Ages. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames began in Italy 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. Giordani is generally considered to be a patronymic surname created from the given name Jordan, originally the name of the river in used by John the Baptist for baptizing people.
The surname Giordani was first found in Venice (Italian: Venezia), and seaport occupying one of the most remarkable sites of the world. Centralizing on the Grand Canal the history of the city can be traced through the different styles of architecture Byzantine, Gothic, early Renaissance and late Renaissance. It is rich in ancient palaces, churches, libraries, galleries, monuments, statues, treasures and artifacts. Its history is abundant in politics, art, religion, scholarship and conflict. The ducal palace was commenced in 1309. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry. The Giordano family name was documented in Latin as far back as the II and III century under the names of Iordanes or Iordanus. Modern records show the surname Giordani in the city of Genoa in 1164, with Guglielmo Giordani, who was Ambassador to Federico Barbarossa, the German Emperor who had invaded northern Italy at this time.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Giordani research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1633, 1634, 1683, 1705, 1711 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Giordani History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Giordano, Giordani, Giordan, Giorda, Giordanengo, Zordani and many more.
Prominent among members of the family was