Paterno History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Paterno

Paterno is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who created rosaries and chaplets. The surname Paterno originally derived from the Old English word paternoster which was used a verb in the opening line of the Latin version of the Lord's Prayer. Paternoster referred to a bead in a rosary. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly common in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith, and wright.

Early Origins of the Paterno family

Early History of the Paterno family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paterno research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1695 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Paterno History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paterno Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Paterno has appeared include Paternoster, Patternoster and others.

Early Notables of the Paterno family

• Alice Paternoster first to hold the lands of Pusey

Migration of the Paterno family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Paterno arrived in North America very early: Abraham Paternoster, who settled in Virginia in 1651; as well as Joseph and Catherine Paternoster, who came to Maryland in 1731.