Porci History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe distinguished surname Porci originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. 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, 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 the Papal States 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 than 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 Porci is a common occupational name for a person who was employed to care for a swine herd. The surname Porco is derived from the Italian word porco, meaning swine. Early Origins of the Porci familyThe surname Porci was first found in the year 1050, with the famous Cataldo Porco, a military leader and freedom fighter who moved to the Sicilian town of Messina where he was essential in defending the city from the Saracen invaders. Early History of the Porci familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Porci research. The years 1351, 1449, 1477 and 1478 are included under the topic Early Porci History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Porci 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 Porci are Porco, Porchi, Puorco, Porcu, Porcù, Porcelli, Porciello, Porcellini, Porcelluzzi, Porcella, Porcedda, Porceddu, Porcheddu, Porqueddu, Porcino, Porcello, Porcia, Porcini, Porcacci, Porcari, Porcaro, Purcaro and many more. Early Notables of the Porci familyProminent among members of the family was
Migration of the Porci familyAn inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Porci or a variant listed above: Antonio Purcaro, who arrived at the port of New York in 1893.
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