Help with an Italian name

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band09mom
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Help with an Italian name

Post by band09mom »

I found a 1900 census with the name of my great uncle. I didn't even know he existed. I have never heard of this name. This is what it looks like to me:

Lavigia

Has anyone ever heard of this name (first name)? I can send the actual file, but I don't know how to insert it.


Gracie.
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

Hello! :D
Census records are notorious for misspellings of names. An immigrant with a foreign accent may have been misunderstood by the census taker.

The name could be "Lavinia."

Can you post the census record? Or give us the details so we can find it and post it for you? What is the family name? what location?

You can post the image yourself to a free image-sharing site such as
www.imageshack.com
Easy to do. Then copy the link code and post in this forum.

T.
PeterTimber
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by PeterTimber »

There are 12 LAVINIA as a surname and is also listed as a first name..
www.gens.labo.net/en/cognomi for both surname and first name.

There is no LAVIGIA indicated for either a surname or firstname. =Peter=
~Peter~
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band09mom
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by band09mom »

This is for Tessa78. I tried to upload the file on www.imageshack.com, but it says it is not a valid content. Is there another way to insert the file. I tried to copy and paste, but that didn't work.
Thanks
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

I'm sorry you are having difficulty. No, you won't have luck copying and pasting.

Can you email it to me? Then I can try to post it. Check your private messages...

T.
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

Let's see if anyone can help with the mystery...

Here is your image.

T.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/5554 ... aquery.png

And here is the full census page...for Biaggio family (including Lavigia)

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/9563 ... census.jpg
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

Just thinking...Lavigia might be Luigia.

T.
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band09mom
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by band09mom »

Thanks, T, for posting for me. Yea, Luigia was the first thought I had. Is Luigi short for Louis? What a mystery!
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

You are most welcome. Many whose name was Luigi used Louis, but where name changes occur...anything goes!!!

Here is a resource about Italian Names. You might find it interesting.

http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwi ... names.html

T.
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Saviane
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Saviane »

Only remember the census page says that:
Lavigia is a male, and brother to the head of the family.
Don't think of Luigia as a girl!
I also think Luigi is a good guess of a bad spelling... but above there is a Louis, so why not here?
May be you should try to go back to the Italian records, or to a later US census
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maestra36
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by maestra36 »

Livigia is definitely a male first name. You are not the only person with this first name in your family tree. I just found it in someone else's family tree too-

LIVIGIA WHITE (son of WILLIAM H WHITE and MAHALA S WOLFORD) was born 1855, and died date unknown.
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by maestra36 »

Lavigia, the Spanish word for lookout, is the name used today for the rounded Mesa hills (from a website about Santa Barbara, California).
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by maestra36 »

In a wikipedia article about the town of Polesella (northeast Italy)-

Il territorio a destra della Fossa fu chiamato Lavigia o Litigia, mentre il territorio a sinistra fu chiamato Policella o Pelosella.

Lavigia or Litigia was the name of a territory to the right, whereas the territory to the left was called Policella or Pelosella. So the first name Lavigia must have originated from the name of this territory in northeast Italy. I realize that this doesn't give you an English equivalent of the Italian first name. There probably is no English equivalent, and I am guessing that this person was ultimately called by a nickname here in the U.S. rather than by an English translation of this rare Italian first name.
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Tessa78
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by Tessa78 »

Great info maestra! :-D

T.
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band09mom
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Re: Help with an Italian name

Post by band09mom »





Thanks to everyone who responded to this question especially to "T" who posted the census. I have never heard of this name and didn't even know this person existed. I am going to try and find out more about him. He was my great uncle.
Thanks again.
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