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From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Napolitano. 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 traditional type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Napolitano family lived in the city of Naples.
The surname Napolitano was first found in the province of Salerno, just south of Naples. The Napoli family in this region had the noble status continued from hundreds of years earlier.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Napolitano research. The years 1881, 1906, 1911 and 1972 are included under the topic Early Napolitano History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Napolitano include Napoletano, Napoli, Napolitano and others.
Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was Enrico Caracciolo di Napoli was made governor of the city of Troina by the King Frederick II of Aragona. The family stayed in Sicily for centuries, predominantly settling in the city of Palermo, and the attachment di Napoli was passed along throughout the generations. Eventually the lineage rose to the status of nobility and by the 18th century 4 main branches had developed, each made up of princes, barons, and dukes of various towns and regions. Later, Gennaro Napoli, born...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Napolitano Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Napolitano is the 5,813rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Napolitano arrived in North America very early: