can any one help

[jolynn]

thankyou again peter, regards, john

[edwardc]

on my grandmothers wedding cert. it gives father as mask aquila conte ( deseased) i don,t know why mask was put before his name

It's possible that it was "mast." instead of "mask", which would likely be an abbreviation for "maestro" (master).

[JohnArmellino]

do you know if their is a surename called denalla or possibly something similar...could there be a di nalla

As per the surname search engine at www.italia.indettaglio.it, there are at least 55 people with the name "di Nallo" in Cassino today and at least 35 in Cervaro. There were no returns for Denalla, di Nalla, or Donella. There are also at least 24 people with the name "Conte" in Cassino today and at least 18 in Cervaro.

[jolynn]

hello john, thankyou for that info. it looks hopeful with the name di nallo. the only document i have says denalla but that would have been spelt by the registrar in england because the person in question could not write in english. i can only presume that they spelt it wrongly. i wonder if di nallo is a old name from that region. well thanks again, regards john

[JohnArmellino]

Hi John - In addition to the changes that took place during and after the immigration process, keep in mind that surnames changed quite a bit in Italy itself. Usually the changes were minimal, such as an "o" to an "a" (e.g., Gianfagno to Gianfagna) or a "di" to "de" (di Soccio to de Socio). However, sometimes the changes were more substantial, such as "Girardo to Calardo, then back to Girardo", or "delli Cameli to li Cameli to Licameli". Sometimes a family's surname changed when they moved into a new town. I have one family that was named Piunno in S. Giovanni in Galdo, yet inexplicably became Biondi in Campobasso.

[jolynn]

hello john, thankyou again, i have just checked the gens. labo.net website and it gives di nallo as predominatly coming from the cassino area. that would fit in nicely with the fact she was born in cassino on the 10/2/1856. it must be a local surename as there does not apear to be many living elsewere in italy. i wonder what the name means? well thanks again, regards, john

[PeterTimber]

Local names usually have no discernible roots being local in origin save for direct word translations such as an occupation. Di Nallo has no dictionary word meaning as well. =Peter=

[jolynn]

hello peter, does the di mean "from" . if so is there a meaning for nallo? thanks again, regards, john

[PeterTimber]

Yes it means of Nallo which has no known meaning or origin. =Peter=

[JohnArmellino]

Trying to determine the meaning of a surname is often a difficult task. You would have to trace the surname back to the late medieval age, when many Italian surnames were formed. However, most surnames in southern Italy are patronymic; that is, they identify a person by his or her connection to another person, such as a father. “Di Pasqualeâ€

[PeterTimber]

Historically many surnames evolved from nicknames which is why local names usually have no historical, social or connective roots while those names identified as being Italian have either been imported and italianized or evolved from Greek, arabic and latin roots.=Peter=

[jolynn]

thankyou both for your contributions, it is interesting, thanks again, john