A variety of distinguished and notable names have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of Tuscany, including the notable surname Cipriani. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany, who were originally known only by a single name, found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. This process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries, but it was not completed until the modern era. The development of Italian hereditary surnames followed general principles and were characterized by derivatives from one's given name. The patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, was one of the most common name types found in the region of Tuscany. This system of name-making was widely used because it linked well with the existing Feudal System and during the Christian era, many people named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Cipriani came from the Greek name kyprios, which literally means Cyprus or the tree island. The name became popular in Italy due to the fame of Saint Cipriani, the Bishop of Cartagine who was martyred in 258. In those early centuries, with the spread of Christianity, parents often named their children after saints in the hope of invoking that particular saint's protection over the child in later years.
The surname Cipriani was first found in Florence (Italian: Firenze), where in the 12th century Arrigo Cipriano was a knight of Emperor Corrado registered in Florence.
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Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Cipriani. These spelling variations include Cipri, Cipro, Cipriani, and Cipriano and others.
Prominent among members of the family was Lamberto Cipriani of Florence, a member of the Ghibelline faction and a pacifist dedicated to ending the fighting between castles in the region during the late 13th century; Giovanni Cipri of Modena was an organ builder during the 16th century, and his brother Giuliano Cipri was of the same profession; Sebastiano Cipriani was an artist in Siena around 1660 whose works can be seen today in the Museum of Design in New York city; Giambattista Cipriani was a painter in...
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In the United States, the name Cipriani is the 18,289th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Cipriani is ranked the 7,265th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. [2]
Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Cipriani were