Can anyone tell me what my last name means?

[jennabet]

In my family I do understand that when a son is given a nome that is the same as his father's cognome, it is to denote that he is the offspring of that man. This particular naming structure is not uncommon in my family as I have another cousin who also possesses the first name of his father's sur name. Both names originated in Greece at least 1,000 years ago and at least 1,000 years is how long my family has been in Italy. However, the name Egidio does refer in this case to Egypt, as Greeks are also Egyptian; for example Cleopatra. She was a Greek-Egyptian. I don't agree with your premise that the name Egidio refers to a small goat. The Italian word for goat is Capra. The Greek word for Goat should be similar. Egidio is not even close to Capra. Also I think family members and the other Italian researchers here who have already commented would know best as opposed to a researcher from Japan.

[carubia]

Greeks are not Egyptians, nor do they derive from them! The etymology of Egidio is readily found with an internet search. Here's one example: 'From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which is derived from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion) meaning "young goat".' And nobody here endorsed your views on the name Egidio (let alone Di Egidio), but rather just ignored them and continued the conversation as before.

Here's Italian wiki: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egidio

Continua il tardo nome latino Aegidius[1][3]: esso può essere ricondotto al termine latino aegis[3][4] ("protezione"[5]), oppure al greco αιγιδιον (aigidion), "giovane capra"[1][2][4].

[jennabet]

As I mentioned before, our Italian family originally from Greece but living in Italy for at least 1,000 years, knows best. None of us would ever consider, as accurate, information provided by a researcher in Japan.

[carubia]

Maybe you should edit Italian wiki and add some references to complement the 5 they have for that sentence alone.

[carinthiangirl]

Egidio simple also can belong to the Names Group " lastname about firstname".
So in this case more possibility to have orgin at firstname Egidio how it is sometimes usual for lastnames. But it leeds to the Goat Theme in any case far back too, like also before posted. So in fact all comes to the same begin -> αιγιδιον -> AIGIDION -> young goat.

Aegidius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Meaning & History: From the Late Latin name Aegidius, which is derived from Greek αιγιδιον (aigidion) meaning "young goat". Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker who came to southern France from Greece. He is regarded as the patron saint of the crippled. In Old French the name Aegidius became Gidie and then Gilles, at which point it was imported to England.
Other languages: Gillis (Dutch), Giles, Gyles (English), Gilles (French), Egidio (Italian), Gidie (Medieval French), Egídio, Gil (Portuguese), Gil (Spanish)

Example: In Austria Ägidius is now a more rare firstname, was more usual in old times. In fact now more unmodern. People with this firstname were often colloquially called "Gidi" in shortform.

To the theme Gypsy. In Europe Roma-People with orgin India normally were named Gypsy/ german Zigeuner/ italian Zingaro. but it was also usual to use the word for all "Fahrendes Volk" (german), Travellers (English). In fact used for most especially foreign-looking, dark-skinned people. As Locals often had no idea where they should classify the persons and often had no idea of people from other countries. So Gypsy was most time an overall term and used for some "around traveling people". It was also used for "fair-skinned" poor people from other areas, who turned around with their carts to sell things to the people, often also socalled "White Gypsies" which could include also some poor Jews also. Again an Example: In Austria often came poor South-Tyroleans from now present Province Bozen (Vinschgau) or Trentinos from Italy or form Switzerland and other different Areas to sell their things (Pedlars). Those had the special name "Karrner" about their cart in german named "Karre" also Jenische(Yeniche People), Lahner, Storchen. And Karrner is still a bad dialect word in present days, as Karrner were not well regarded because of the poverty of some of them. But just Karrner, Jeniche People and those around traveling People were generally under the name GYPSY. In present days Gypsy and Karrner seen as a more bad and discriminatory wording. Better to use Roma People and Jenische.
http://members.aon.at/jenisch.at/page_4_1.html
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenische
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeniche_people
http://www.amazon.de/Die-Tiroler-Karrne ... 3703003855
http://www.oew.org/de/archiv_news.php?i ... norum=2008
translator for the german sites: https://translate.google.com/#de/en/

I´m pretty sure that SUANJ will know what socalled Gypsies are and where are from they came. In this case meant the Roma People with orgin India far back. And she really know how most Europeans will know, that Gypsy was used for different people and not only for the Roma people. To see also at the sentence of her: "in Italy we called zingari the nomad peoples.. and they have different ethnicity..."

So needless to make the discussion little bit unkind for that she liked to help and to explain.
The above stated may give people from ABROAD AREAS a better understanding what´s meant by European People when they speak/ spoke about "Gypsies".

[MarcoItaliano]

To the theme Gypsy. In Europe Roma-People with orgin India normally were named Gypsy/ german Zigeuner/ italian Zingaro. but it was also usual to use the word for all "Fahrendes Volk" (german), Travellers (English). In fact used for most especially foreign-looking, dark-skinned people. As Locals often had no idea where they should classify the persons and often had no idea of people from other countries. So Gypsy was most time an overall term and used for some "around traveling people". It was also used for "fair-skinned" poor people from other areas, who turned around with their carts to sell things to the people, often also socalled "White Gypsies" which could include also some poor Jews also. Again an Example: In Austria often came poor South-Tyroleans from now present Province Bozen (Vinschgau) or Trentinos from Italy or form Switzerland and other different Areas to sell their things (Pedlars). Those had the special name "Karrner" about their cart in german named "Karre" also Jenische(Yeniche People), Lahner, Storchen. And Karrner is still a bad dialect word in present days, as Karrner were not well regarded because of the poverty of some of them. But just Karrner, Jeniche People and those around traveling People were generally under the name GYPSY. In present days Gypsy and Karrner seen as a more bad and discriminatory wording. Better to use Roma People and Jenische.
http://members.aon.at/jenisch.at/page_4_1.html
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenische
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeniche_people
http://www.amazon.de/Die-Tiroler-Karrne ... 3703003855
http://www.oew.org/de/archiv_news.php?i ... norum=2008
translator for the german sites: https://translate.google.com/#de/en/

I´m pretty sure that SUANJ will know what socalled Gypsies are and where are from they came. In this case meant the Roma People with orgin India far back. And she really know how most Europeans will know, that Gypsy was used for different people and not only for the Roma people. To see also at the sentence of her: "in Italy we called zingari the nomad peoples.. and they have different ethnicity..."

So needless to make the discussion little bit unkind for that she liked to help and to explain.
The above stated may give people from ABROAD AREAS a better understanding what´s meant by European People when they speak/ spoke about "Gypsies".

Ok but at the end of the day what im saying is correct. GIZZI does not mean GYPSY, ZINGARO does...thats the point i was trying to make before when she said thats what it means, what im saying is a fact not an opinion(even though obviously i appreciate/want everyones opinion lol). And all this you said about the Romani peoples is basically what i saying you were just explaining it more in detail.

In the 1700's there was a famous Cardinal named Tommaso Pasquale GIZZI who almost became Pope, he was the Secretary of State, titular Archbishop of Thebes and he has many more titles, you can read about him here: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommaso_Pasquale_Gizzi
Dont you think that in his biography if he descended from "zingaro, romani..etc" that they would include that in it, because of who he was? of course they would, they include all the origins of cardinals & popes in the biography.
According to my father he told me im related to that man and i believe him because if you look where he comes from (Ceccano) is the exact area my family comes from. And if you look at the end of the bio it says that there are "traces of his descendants in Rome, Ceprano & Ceccano". My GIZZI family comes from Ceprano. My dad told me he has his holy scarf (not sure what its called) in storage that was given to him from his nonno (my nonno grande). Im going to find out officially (even though my family says i am) that im related to him. But thats besides the point im making, i just trying to make the point that my last name doesnt mean Gypsy. (i still dont know officially yet what it means, only peoples opinions, and interpretations) the one that sounds the most likely is the first defintion that i found about "egyptian slaves" and the link after that SUANJ provided about the ancient egyptians in Italy...thanks so far everyone trying to help me out...

[carubia]

And if you look at the end of the bio it says that there are "traces of his descendants in Rome, Ceprano & Ceccano"

Descendants of an archbishop?!

[MarcoItaliano]

lol well that what it says on there so i dont know, also "The descendants of Gizzi enjoy the title of Count d ' Osimo , Anagni and Ferentino"...i know cardinals dont have kids im pretty sure, so if im related then hes my great grand uncle or something he must have brothers or sisters...somehow im related to him

[jennabet]

...i know cardinals dont have kids im pretty sure, so if im related then hes my great grand uncle or something he must have brothers or sisters...somehow im related to him

Ciao Marco. So you think Cardinals don't have kids? Well, in addition to my family on my maternal side being descended from a Pope, perhaps you should see the European version of the mini series, "The Borgias". And if you ever happen to mention to an Italian in Italy that cardinals don't have kids, you should not be surprised to hear, from a male, rather than a female, that "half the children in this town were fathered by the Priests". Of course they say this jokingly but the "joke" keeps coming up throughout Italian history.

As for your name, Gizzi, it's a wonderful name and sounds very Italian as does your first name, assuming it's Marco. I would also imagine that based on what you've said about your ancestors, you possess handsome Italian looks as well. So go with what you've been given and be proud! This is always far better than claiming to be Italian and having a non-Italian sounding name, perhaps German or British and always having to explain your ethnicity. Worse yet you could be an unattractive nerd who wears bad sweaters and has a nervous laugh So again, be proud of your Italian name and who you are.

[telesino]

The maternal line for my Italian ancestors too is Gizzi. Experienced researchers in Italy who have helped me along the way believe it derives from variations of the word Gipti - meaning out of Eygpt. I took a paternal Y-DNA test (male lineage only) and i have Egyptian/Turkish/Persian ethnicity which further confirms (at least in my mind) the general meaning of the name as other experienced folks here on this site have noted.

[MarcoItaliano]

Hi everybody again,
i found this town in Calabria called GIZZERIA in the province of Catanzaro. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gizzeria

Im wondering if my last name has any connection to that place. I know that the locals of this town are called Gizzeroti. Heres what i found on this official website http://www.iannazzo.it/gizzeria/ambart_schema.html

The roots of Gizzeria, say some scholars, dates back to an ancient Greek colony called Izzario or Izzaria, then absorbed by the Basilian Monastery of St. Nicholas Latinized eleventh century by the Benedictines of St. Euphemia.
Indeed the marine occasionally return archaeological finds of the necropolis and human settlements, as well as prehistoric.
YEAR EVENT
up to 700 Neolithic settlements and magnogreci
700? Izzaria Byzantine Greek.
900-1000 Foundation of Chiesuola (Laura?)
900? Tower of Capo Suvero (watchtower)
1000-1100 Yussaria Norman Latin
1400? Tower of St. Catherine (warning system)
1400-1510 Casale of Izzaria or Iezzaria speaking Italian-Albanian
1559 Church of St. Mary of the Angels (Convent)
1600? Torre Spineto (intensification of sighting system)
1600? Church of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Gizzeria
1753 Gizzeria took its present name of the Italian language
1783 Earthquake of 1783
1832? Construction of the road of fuscia (develops agriculture)
1876 Implementation of the road for Nicastro
1900-1960 Diffusion of olive cultivation
1972-2005 Development of tourism and trade

Couldnt my name just mean a person from Gizzeria...Just like how you have the surname Romano which means someone from the city of Roma or the surname Napolitano for someone from Napoli...its the same no? like Gizzi/Gizzo for someone from Gizzeria..what do all think about that? thanks for opinions and helping me...

[Filmways]

Old Venetian documents suggest that Gisi like Ghigi, Ghisi, Gigi, Gizi derived from the name Luigi, and there are numerous examples i.e. Gisi Pelegrino (1168); Lazzaso Gisi da Cannaregio (1147), etc etc. Egyptians were called "Gifto" a name which is used to day for the Human race of "Roma", which is wrong. But off course who am I to offer you advise?

[MarcoItaliano]

Old Venetian documents suggest that Gisi like Ghigi, Ghisi, Gigi, Gizi derived from the name Luigi, and there are numerous examples i.e. Gisi Pelegrino (1168); Lazzaso Gisi da Cannaregio (1147), etc etc. Egyptians were called "Gifto" a name which is used to day for the Human race of "Roma", which is wrong. But off course who am I to offer you advise?

Thanks for telling me that, Gigi and Gizzi sound pretty much the same and i can see the relation. I guess i'll never really know what my last name means, too many different opinions, interpretations, definitions...etc. Its ok im about to just give up trying anyway..

[Filmways]

Off course, you have at least as many relatives in Greece than in Italy, especially in the islands. Luongo is the family Longo, also a very large family with many branches. There are many "di Savona" families, some very powerfull.