Lami History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Italy
Scotland

From the ancient and picturesque Italian region of Venice emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Lami. 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 Lami family lived in Milan. Originally, Lama was a Spanish local name for someone who lived on a patch of marshland, and it was originally derived from the Late Latin word Lama, which means marshland.

Early Origins of the Lami family

The surname Lami was first found in 1552 when Leonardo Lana was Bishop of Budua.

Early History of the Lami family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lami research. The years 1607, 1653 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Lami History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lami 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 Lami include Lami, Lamma, Lamieri, Lana, Lanna, Lanino and others.

Early Notables of the Lami family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was

Bernardino Lanino, a 16th century painter whose most famous work lies in the Church of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan and is entitled the Martyrdom of Saint Catherine. Giulio Lana was Bishop of Vulturar...

Lami Ranking

In France, the name Lami is the 4,014^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Lami family

Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lami or a variant listed above: Alfredo Lama, aged 17, who arrived at Ellis Island from Catanzano S. Andrea, Italy, in 1911; Antonino Lama, aged 23, who arrived at Ellis Island from Floresta, Sicily, in 1914.

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/