Leonardi History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of LeonardiWhat does the name Leonardi mean? The distinguished surname Leonardi 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 Leonardi came from the Old German name Leonhard, which is composed of the elements lewo or lion and hardhu, which means strong, brave. Early Origins of the Leonardi familyThe surname Leonardi was first found in the city of Novara. Records show that the Leonardi family was one of the noble families in Novara until 1370, when they moved to Milan. Early History of the Leonardi familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leonardi research. The years 1490, 1553, 1654, 1711, 1770 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Leonardi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Leonardi Spelling VariationsThere 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 Leonardi are Leonardis, Leonardi, Leonardo, Leonarda, Leinardi, Leinardo, Lonardi, Lonardo, Lunardi, Lunardo, Lenardi, Linardi, Linardo, De Leonardi, De Leonardis, Di Leonardi, Leonardelli, Leonardini, Leonarduzzi, Lunardelli, Lunardoni, Lunardon, Lenarduzzi, Lenardoni, Lenardon and many more. Early Notables of the Leonardi familyProminent among bearers of this family in early times was
Leonardi RankingIn France, the name Leonardi is the 3,557th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1
In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Leonardi Leonardi Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
|