Show ContentsCattaneo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Meaning "captain," this name began as a nickname in the Medieval Ages, probably for someone who actually was a ship's captain, or perhaps for someone who acted in some way like a captain. The variations which begin with "Catt-" appear mostly in Tuscany and Naples, and, as is the custom for all Italian names, those that end in "i" are from the north, while those that end in "o" are from the south.

Early Origins of the Cattaneo family

The surname Cattaneo was first found in the southern part of the province of Emilia for the most part, though the name also appears elsewhere in Italy.

Early History of the Cattaneo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cattaneo research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1466, 1522, 1531, 1544, 1595, 1602 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Cattaneo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattaneo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Capitani, Capitanio, Capitaneo, Cattaneo, Cattanei, Cattano, Cattani, Cattagni, Capitanelli, Capitanucci and many more.

Early Notables of the Cattaneo family

Prominent among members of the family was Girolamo Capitani, Bishop of Nice and "Grande Elemosiniere" of Caterina de Medici, Queen of France in 1544.Francesco Cattani da Diacceto (1466-1522) was a Florentine Neoplatonist philosopher of the Italian Renaissance. His grandson, Francesco Cattani da Diacceto (1531-1595), often referred to as...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cattaneo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cattaneo Ranking

In France, the name Cattaneo is the 8,606th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Cattaneo family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Costandino Capitano, who was naturalized in Ashtabula Co, Ohio between 1875 and 1906; and other bearers of the $ family name, who settled along the east coast of North America near the end of the 19th century..


Contemporary Notables of the name Cattaneo (post 1700) +

  • Bernard Louis Cattaneo, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 2


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Bernard Cattaneo. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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