A variety of distinguished and notable names have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of
Tuscany, including the notable surname Gaeta. 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 Gaeta came from the medieval given name Gaetano, which was originally a name from Caieta in Latium. According to tradition, the town was named after the elderly nurse of Aeneas, who died after fleeing with him from the ruins of Troy.
Early Origins of the Gaeta family
The surname Gaeta was first found in
Tuscany (Italian: Toscana), a region in central Italy.
Early History of the Gaeta family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaeta research. More information is included under the topic Early Gaeta History in all our
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Gaeta Spelling Variations
There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the
spelling variations of Gaeta are Gaeta, Gaita, De Gaita, Di Gaeta, Gaetani, Di Gaetano, Gaetano and many more.
Early Notables of the Gaeta family (pre 1700)
Prominent among members of the family was Giovanni-Baldo Gaeta, a priest from Pisa who held the position in 1466, 1475, 1488. Also at this time, the Gaeta family of Naples was officially recognized as nobility in the...
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Migration of the Gaeta family to the New World and Oceana
The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Gaeta:
Gaeta Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Antonino Gaeta, aged 31, who emigrated to the United States from Tishia, Italy, in 1907
- Achille Gaeta, aged 16, who landed in America from Castellammare, Italy, in 1908
- Alfonso Gaeta, aged 26, who landed in America from Onello Del Sabati, Italy, in 1910
- Carmelo Gaeta, aged 66, who landed in America from Francofonte, Italy, in 1911
- Argentina Gaeta, aged 7, who emigrated to the United States from Palo del Colle, Italy, in 1912
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gaeta Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Lena Zurba Gaeta, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1899
Contemporary Notables of the name Gaeta (post 1700)
- Anthony R. Gaeta (1927-1988), American politician from Staten Island, New York
- John Gaeta (b. 1968), American Academy Award winning visual effects designer
- Francesco Gaeta (1879-1927), Italian poet
- Marco Gaeta (b. 1992), Italian professional football player
- Mario Gaeta (b. 1952), Italian professional footballer
- Antonio Gaeta (b. 1984), Italian footballer