Italian using two last names from Agrigento / Maurici-Lino

[London82]

I know Spanish Nationalities use two last names but I have never seen it with Italians.
My grandmother's new found biological father's family from Agrigento is using two last names Maurici-Lino.
Is this odd? Or is it common in certain parts of Italy to do this??

Thanks,
Stephanie

[liviomoreno]

It is only 1 last name: "Murici Lino"

[London82]

OoOOooOOoo okay, thank you

[adellagreca]

While I agree that Maurici Lino could be one name, I am confused why before Ciro the last name was only Maurici.
A couple of years ago I asked a similar question regarding my wife's grandfather Giuseppe. In his case, Italian Birth and Marriage Certificates indicate that his last name was Luca Neri. In the US Luca Neri became Luca. What is interesting, however, is that in the Marriage and Death Certificates of Giuseppe's father Pietro the last name is Luca, not Luca Neri. While I myself questioned the possibility that Neri was added because of some potential Spanish influence, I could not determine the derivation since none of the relatives were Neri. I am still confused about the change
Neil

[London82]

Because The person I had copied this info from had the person before Ciro's wife's last name as Lino... I was so confused, I deleted that info not thinking it was correct information.

[London82]

See the pic, of this person's tree, tell me what you think of Maurici-Lino one last name or two

[adellagreca]

Based on the tree you copied your info from, there is no question in my mind that the last name of Ciro, Filippo and Ignazio is Lino. The addition of Maurici is not typical in Italy, but possible (?). In the case of Ciro, somehow he picked up his mother's last name but, as with Spanish tradition, that should have been dropped with Filippo, but it stayed. Only God knows what happened. One ought to look at original documents for clues, but they don't necessarily give you an answer as in the case I ran into. In the end, the task is to identify the roots and it seems to me that the roots are very clear. Many last names were changed by US immigrants to spelling errors and integration issues. It is what it is.
Neil

[London82]

*Adellagreca, thank you for your insight.

Stephanie

[Tessa78]

Some interesting reading on Sicilian Surnames which includes this paragraph
http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art415.htm

Contrary to popular belief, double names (not hyphenated in Italian), such as Messina Denaro or Vanni Lupo, usually do not indicate aristocracy but rather an attempt - perhaps centuries ago - to distinguish two large branches of the same family living in the same small locality. In some cases, the second name was actually a nickname, so the large Vanni family might have a branch called "Vanni Lungo" (Tall Vanni) and another called "Vanni Bassetto" (Short Vanni).

T.

[rp76226]

When families grow very large for a surname, to distinguish the different family branches, a "nickname" is sometimes added. Sometimes these nicknames over time also become actual last names. The nickname may or may not have a meaning. In your case, Lino translates to linen, and may or may not refer to a profession related to one of your family branches.

Sometimes the nicknames are just little "insults" amicably given and received. In my own family, I often see Pagliarello Puma. Though Pagliarello does not translate exactly, another member thought it might be an extension of haystack in Italian. Here's an explanation, which is a bit complex, to show you that possibly a similar situation exists with your double name and may or may not be complex. This is how an expert explained the Pagliarello nickname to me:

"Paglia" in Italian and Sicilian, means "straw". "Paglaio" in Italian means "pile of straw", which we would call a "haystack". "Pagliaro" is another form (actually the origin) of "pagliaio".

"ello" is a diminutive Italian suffix meaning "small" or "little" (fratello=little brother, campanella=little bell, etc.), so "pagliarello" means "little pagliaro". Knowing the Sicilian predilection for insulting or demeaning 'nciurii or supranomi(nicknames), and for giving people nicknames like "Strunzu" (droppng), or "Cocculuni" (lump), my best guess is that an early Puma was rotund, which earned him the nickname "little haystack".

There may be other explanations, but I have no doubt that the root word of the nickname is "paglia", "straw". He may have been a gatherer, transporter or vendor of straw, and if he was of small stature, could have been called "pagliarello" with any of those implications.
Today, both surnames are valid and common surnames in Italy.

[adellagreca]

Thanks for the article, Tessa. Very interesting reading. Still surprising, however, that the nicknames, became official in Civil documents.
Neil

[carubia]

Many people had double surnames in Sicily before the 20 th c. These weren't just additionsl nicknames, but combinations of 2 different actual surnames. Many of these cases arose from someone who used both the father's and mother's surname. The 2 names could be used in combination, in either order, or singularly, with the same person having different surnames in different records, or different people in the family using different surnames. You might see 1 of the 2 names disappear for a couple of generations and then re-surface. Women especially often used their mother's surname instead of their father's.

[carubia]

Here is Ignazio Maurici Lino in my tree:
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/pe ... 7129/facts

It includes some ancestors that are missing from the trees you posted above, such as the parents of Benedetto Lo Scalzo and his first wife Maria Tuzzolino and the parents of Antonina Di Piazza. I haven't been able to verify that Filippo Maurici Lino's parents were really Ciro Maurici and Maria Longo or that Cito Maurici's parents were Salvadore Lino Trono and Ignazia Maurici of Bivona, but these identifications seem reasonable and I'm trying to confirm them.

I have another Ciro Maurici from Bivona in my tree who could've been the same person (he had a son Luigi around 1780), but his wife's name - Anna Colletti - was totally different, at least according to Luigi's death record.

[carubia]

Well, I've found the 1856 marriage record of Filippo Maurici and Biagia Lo Scalzo, so at least I was able to confirm his parents. It seems that his father Ciro was still alive then and I haven't found his death record up until 1861 either, so it is necessary to look through the death records on familysearch, which are spotty for Alessandria. Antonina Di piazza's father Giuseppe was still alive in 1834 so in principle you shoud be able to find his death record and thus parents. I found Benedetto Lo Scalzo's GF's name from his 1838 marriage record for his 2nd marriage, too.

Edit to add: I found Giuseppe Di Piazza's 2nd marriage record and his death record, as well as the death record of Biagia Caltagirone, his 1st wife and the mother of Antonina Di Piazza. Just about the only left to find is the death record of Ciro Maurici, unless a parent of Biagia Caltagirone or Maria Longo lived past 1820.

[carubia]

So much for the theory that Ciro Maurici Lino's parents were Salvadore Lino Trono and Ignazia Maurici from Bivona:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903 ... cat=529842

According to his death record his parents were Ignazio Maurici and Giuseppa Vaccaro.