Franconi History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Piedmont emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Franconi family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. 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 common type of family name found in Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Franconi is a name for "Franc." The surname Franchi can be traced to the Norman given name Franc, which was a name for the Germanic peoples, the Franks, who inhabited the lands around the Rhine River in Roman times. In the 6th century, under the leadership of Clovis I, the Frankish tribe established a substantial empire in Europe, which later developed into the Holy Roman Empire. Their most famous Emperor was Charlemagne. The surname Franchi is also a name for a person from Franconia in Gemany.

Early Origins of the Franconi family

The surname Franconi was first found in with Giacomo Franchi who was a statesman and member of this prominent family near Genoa in 1445.

Early History of the Franconi family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franconi research. The years 1450, 1477, 1517, 1546, 1592, 1633, 1638, 1666, 1709 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Franconi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franconi Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Franconi include Franco, Franca, Franch, Frank, De Franchi, De Franchis, De Franco, Di Franco, La Franca, Franchèlli, Franchelli, Franchèllo, Franchello, Franchétto, Franchitti, Franina, Francolini, Francucci, Franci, Francesetti, Franciotti, Franconi and many more.

Early Notables of the Franconi family

Prominent among members of the family was Francesco Francia, (1450-1517), an Italian painter and goldsmith born in Bolognia; Matteo Franco, (born 1477) a Florentine priest and poet who wrote several volumes of humorous poetry; Veronica Franco (born 1546) , a Venetian courtesan and poet; Nicol Franchi from Piedmont, a counselor...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Franconi Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Franconi family

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Franconi or a variant listed above: Joseph Francioli, who arrived in the Mississippi in 1853; Arturo Francioni, who arrived in Iowa in 1924; Angelo DeFranco, aged 21, who arrived at Ellis Island from Labriola, in 1905.

Contemporary Notables of the name Franconi (post 1700) +

Keoki Franconi (b. 1966), known by his stage name DJ Keoki, a Salvadoran-American electronic musician
Antonio Franconi (1738-1836), Italian equestrian, founder of Cirque Olympique in 1807 with his two sons, Laurent and Henri
Henri Adolphe Franconi (1801-1855), French playwright and circus performer, grandson of Antonio Franconi
Jean Gérard Henri Franconi (1779-1849), French playwright and circus performer, son of Antonio Franconi