Cristobal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The distinguished surname Cristobal can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. 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. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Cristobal came from the name Christopher, the ancient and popular first name.

Early Origins of the Cristobal family

The surname Cristobal was first found in Milan (Italian: Milano, Milanese: Milan), the second-most populous city in Italy and the capital of Lombardy where the variant Cristoforis was first found.

Early History of the Cristobal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cristobal research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1655 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Cristobal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cristobal Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Cristobal include Cristoforo, Cristofori, Cristofaro, Cristofari, Cristoferi, Cristoforis, Cristofolo, Cristofoli, Cristofalo, Cristofano, Cristofani, De Cristoforo, De Cristofaro, De Cristofalo, Di Cristoforo, Cristoforetti, Cristofoletti, Cristofolini and many more.

Early Notables of the Cristobal family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was Bartolomeo Cristofoli, born in Padua in 1655, a famous harpsichord maker who came from a family of musicians and composers; Cristofaro or Cristoforo Caresana (ca. 1640-1709), an Italian Baroque composer...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cristobal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cristobal Ranking

In the United States, the name Cristobal is the 14,944^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Cristobal migration to the United States +

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Cristobal were

Cristobal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francisco Cristobal, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 2
Brother Cristobal, who landed in New Spain in 1835 2
Aug Cristobal, aged 38, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1841 2
Juana Cristobal, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1876 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Cristobal (post 1700) +

Cristobal Arreola (b. 1981), Mexican-American professional Heavyweight boxer
Cristobal Huet (b. 1975), French hockey (NHL) Goaltender

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)