Show ContentsCallighèr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Venice emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Callighèr. 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Venice 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, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Callighèr family lived in Bologna, where Grazia Calegari was one of 10 members elected to the provisional government in 1394.

Early Origins of the Callighèr family

The surname Callighèr was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia), the largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna Region.

Early History of the Callighèr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Callighèr research. The years 1644, 1656, 1662, 1675, 1717, 1742, 1744, 1753, 1785 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Callighèr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Callighèr Spelling Variations

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 Callighèr include Callegari, Callegaro, Callegaris, Calegari, Calegaris, Calligari, Calligaro, Caligari, Caligaris, Calleghèr, Callighèr, Galligari, Galligài, Calgari, Calgaro, Calliari, Calliàri, Caliari, Caliàri, Cagliari, Cagliàri, Callieri, Callièri, Calieri, Calièri, Caliero, Calièro, Calleri, Callèri, Caleri, Calèri, Caglieri, Caglièri, Cagliero, Caglièro, Caglieris, Caglièris, Callegarini, Callegarìn, Cagliarotti, Cagliartti, Callierotti, Calliertti, Caglierotti and many more.

Early Notables of the Callighèr family

Prominent among members of the family was Francesco Antonio Calegari, a philosopher and singer in 1656; Antonio Callegari of Brescia, a famous sculptor, and produced three children, Luca, Giuseppe, and Santo, all of whom followed their father's trade; their works can be seen in Brescia today; Antonio Calegari, a sculptor in Bologna in 1744; Giovanni Calegari (born 1753), an architect in Bologna; Giovanni Battista Callegari was born in Parma in 1785 and became...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Callighèr Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Callighèr migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Callighèr or a variant listed above:

Callighèr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mary Calligher, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1854 1


  1. 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)


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