Gizzi family name meaning?

[MarcoG]

Hi, recently I was researching my last name, and for a while now i have been trying to find out more and more information about the name that i possibly can. I even made another similar topic about this on this website in the past, didn't find too much luck, most people i talk to seem to know just as much as i do (which is not very much). I have also been making a family tree on ancestry.com tracing back my ancestors in my pedigree. On that website I was looking under family history about this particular name and it gave me this definition;

Italian: probably a patronymic from Gizio, a reduced form of the personal name Egizio, from an ethnic name relating to Egypt.

So basically what that definition is telling me is that my last name goes back to Ancient Egypt? Egyptian ancestors? Can anybody confirm or deny this? It seems like this is the only definition i can find on the internet for this name. No other website tells you what the name means. Can anybody help?

On a side note, from researching the name on different websites; heraldryinstitute.com tells you the name originates from Ceccano, Frosinone, Lazio in the 1700's; houseofnames.com tells you it originates from Catania, Sicily in the 1300's. I want to believe heraldryinstitute.com because my entire family is Ciociaro on both sides and comes from Frosinone, Lazio so it would make sense then. It would be nice to just officially know what the name means and were it originated in Italia. If anybody can help that would be great. Thanks. - Marco

[Italysearcher]

Gizzi is certainly found in many towns in Frosinone. However in very early records I have also seen it written as IZZO. It isn't clear if it was an error on the part of the priest or a family who came from another area. I have seen IZZO in Molise, and Campania.

[MarcoG]

Gizzi is certainly found in many towns in Frosinone. However in very early records I have also seen it written as IZZO. It isn't clear if it was an error on the part of the priest or a family who came from another area. I have seen IZZO in Molise, and Campania.

hmm thats interesting. On houseofnames.com it says this for Gizzi:

First found in Sicily where a Guzzo family was on record in Catania, from 1374, when one Giovanni Gussio was in the service of King Federico III. The family is said to have come from Tolone. A branch of the family flourished in Nicosia and was granted the title of Baron of Mancipa, Passarello and Rada.

I also searched Izzo on houseofnames.com but nothing came up but on heraldryinstitute.com some info did, heres what it says:

Antica famiglia campana, la quale, al dir di alcuni storici, sarebbe una diramazione della nobilissima famiglia Rizzo, discendente, a sua volta, seconda la tradizione, dai Patrizi romani Ritius, i quali, a seguito delle invasioni barbariche, presero nuova dimora sulla costiera amalfitana, da dove originarono il ramo napoletano.

Looks like Izzo is a branch of the Rizzo family and not related to Gizzi (based on that website). I think Gizzi might be a branch of the Guzzo family originating in Sicily. BUT when i searched Guzzo on heraldryinstitute.com it says the same thing on houseofnames.com that it said for Gizzi. On heraldryinstitute.com its basically saying Guzzo and Gizzi are two different families. Here's what it says for Gizzi:

Antica ed illustre famiglia di Ceccano, la cui principale gloria è Pasquale Tommaso, nato il 22 settembre 1787 in Ceccano. Creato nel 1841 da S.S. Gregorio XVI cardinale del titolo di S. Prudenziana; fu segretario di Stato di Pio IX e morì il 3 giugno 1849 in Lenola (Fondi) ove fu sepolto in quella chiesa parrocchiale. Fra i suoi molteplici incar ...

and for Guzzo:

Giovanni Guzzo venne nel reggimento del Rè Federico III, agnominato il Semplice, a' servigi della Regina Antonia, figlia del Duca d'Adria, nel casamento, ch'ella fece col Rè Federico l'anno 1374. Giovanni Guzzo fù uno de i gentilhuomini, che à suoi servigi passarono, col quale Ansaldo, e Ruggiero Guzzo suoi fratelli, tutti della città di Tolon ...

[Italysearcher]

The use of surnames begin much earlier than 1700 so to appear from nowhere in Ceccano in 1770 means it came from somewhere else. Ceccano parish records go back to 1500's and the name is found in the indexes during the 1800's. The indexes in the earlier books are by first baptismal name so it's very difficult to check quickly. The reality is that unless you are descended from one of these noble families you are not entitled to use their crest. I am not sure but I believe that healdry goes with the person who earned it and is not passed down.

[MarcoG]

The use of surnames begin much earlier than 1700 so to appear from nowhere in Ceccano in 1770 means it came from somewhere else. Ceccano parish records go back to 1500's and the name is found in the indexes during the 1800's. The indexes in the earlier books are by first baptismal name so it's very difficult to check quickly. The reality is that unless you are descended from one of these noble families you are not entitled to use their crest. I am not sure but I believe that healdry goes with the person who earned it and is not passed down.

My Nonno grande Gino Enrico Gizzi had the scarf (not sure exactly what its called, maybe Pallium?) of Cardinal http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommaso_Pasquale_Gizzi. My nonno grande Gino was born in Ceprano, Lazio in 1917 and he died here in Canada in 2006. My father told me that when my nonno grande was in Italia as a young boy growing up he was in a very rich family and lived in a mansion with maids, and everybody used to call him "signorino". According to my father, Cardinal Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi is in my family tree/pedigree. All of the the Gizzi's that i know of so far that are in my family tree/pedigree are all born in Ceprano (but thats only going back to the late 1800's) But as you said, the use of surnames begin much earlier than 1700 in Frosinone, so thats why im a little confused from that website heraldryinstitute.com saying it originates in 1700's. If you can help me more Ann i would appreciate it. thanks