Show ContentsMoliner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Moliner

What does the name Moliner mean?

Piedmont, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Moliner. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt 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; 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 common type of family name found in Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common that other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent, that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Moliner is a name for a person who owned, managed, or worked in a mill deriving its origin from the Italian word "molino," which meant mill.

Early Origins of the Moliner family

The surname Moliner was first found in Genoa (Italian: Genova), a prosperous city which at one time was a rival with Venice in terms of commerce and trade.

Early History of the Moliner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moliner research. The years 1370, 1455, 1570, 1599, 1633, 1655, 1667, 1704 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Moliner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moliner Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Moliner. These spelling variations include Molinari, Molinaro, Moliner, Mulinari, Monari, Monaro, Munari, Muner, Mugnai, Molinella, Molinare, Monlinaroli, Molinarolo and many more.

Early Notables of the Moliner family

Prominent among members of the family was Michelino Molinari da Besozzo (c. 1370-c. 1455), an Italian painter and illuminator who worked mostly in Milan and Lombardy; Simone Molinaro (1570-1633) of Genoa, the maestro di cappella at the Genoa Cathedral...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Moliner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moliner Ranking

In France, the name Moliner is the 6,199th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1


Moliner migration to the United States +

Early immigration records have shown some of the first Moliners to arrive on North American shores:

Moliner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Felix Moliner, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1823 2
  • Augustin Moliner, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
  • Dna Rafila Moliner, aged 18, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Moliner (post 1700) +

  • María Moliner, Spanish lexicographer


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. 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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