Nigra History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

From this historical and fascinating Italian region have emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Nigra family. Italian people were originally known only by a single name, but it became necessary to adopt a second name as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The surname Nigra is derived from the Italian word "negri" which means "black." It was most likely originally a nickname for someone with a dark complexion, perhaps for an immigrant from northern Africa.

Early Origins of the Nigra family

The surname Nigra was first found in Ferrara, a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. History dates the city back to 753. One of the first records of the name was Carlo Negri di Pietra Santa who was a Bishop of the city in 929. Ferrar, a city in Emilia Romagna is the capital of the province of Ferrara. Them city was at war with Venice in 1471. It is a walled city and notable is the Church of S.Cristoforo. Knitted goods and shawls are made. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time was in itself a family honor.

Early History of the Nigra family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nigra research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1480, 1528, 1544, 1585, 1616, 1623, 1624, 1626, 1663, 1666, 1698 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Nigra History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nigra 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 Nigra include Negri, Negro, Nigri, Nigris, Nigra, Negris, Negrelli, Negrotto, Negrello, Negroni and many more.

Early Notables of the Nigra family

Prominent among members of the family was Gaspare Negri, a Venetian painter whose only known painting entitled "Virgin with the Dead Christ and Saints" can be seen in Boston. Andalò Negro of Genoa was master of the famous poet and author Boccaccio. Iacopo Negretti was a Venetian painter who lived around 1544. He was a pupil of Titian and finished Titian's last masterpiece, entitled "Pietà." He was one of the artists assigned to the redecoration of the Ducal Palace in Venice, and also did designs for numerous mosaics in Saint Mark's Cathedral. Cesare Negri was the ballet master at the Court...
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nigra Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nigra migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Nigra:

Nigra Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Paula Nigra, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 1
Peter Nigra, who arrived in Arkansas in 1904 1

Citations +

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)