Moor or Less

[darkerhorse]

Mauro is a somewhat common first name among my ancestors from eastern Sicily. At least, among the ones who remained there. The ones who immigrated tended to change their name to "Mario" in America.

Anyway, I've read that the given name "Mauro" might be derived from "Moors", as in the Muslim inhabitants of Iberia.

A few of my Sicilian ancestors look possibly mixed race or mixed ethnicity. I know you can't go by looks but the coloring, features, hair texture, etc. are striking.

No one in my immediate family has done DNA testing but some distant cousins have, and show a trace of North African DNA.

Have you heard this explanation of the name Mauro?

What is the origin, timing, and extent of Moor migration to Sicily?

Where were/are they most prominent?

Are there any Moorish surnames which are identifiable in Sicily?

Has anyone established Moorish roots among their Sicilian ancestors using paper trail and/or DNA?

Any websites for Moor genealogy?

[joetucciarone]

Have you uploaded your DNA results to GedMatch? They have a large number of "tools" that compare your DNA to dozens of databases. I'm 1/4 Sicilian, and the GedMatch tools indicate that I have from 3% to 12% northwest African ancestry. Presumably, that's Moorish. Here's a scholarly study of Moorish and Saracen DNA in European populations, including Sicily:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2947089/

[darkerhorse]

I haven't had a DNA test.

[darkerhorse]

I searched for images of people from North Africa and was surprised they looked so European. Perhaps the "look" is from other parts of Africa.

Does anyone have any photos of Sicilian relatives with known North African ancestry which they are willing to post?

[joetucciarone]

These photographs might be of interest to you:

https://www.mariobadagliacca.com/moors_ ... 018-r10994

[darkerhorse]

Yes, that's helpful. Thanks.

[cedrone]

To joetucciarone :
I tried to send you a PM, but it's not working. Please send me you a message with your e-mail address.
Thank you very much.

[TerriBreen50]

I'm interested in this topic as one of our Italian family surname is "di Mauro/Mauro". "Salvatore di Mauro", my 2x Great-Grandfather's was born in Somma Vescuviana, near Naples in 1852 to "Gennaro di Mauro" & "Grazia Caposio" also of Somma Vescuviana. I can't find any marriage or birth records for Gennaro or Grazia to determine where their parents were from, but I keep looking. Salvatore moved to Gallico in 1876 to marry and dropped the "di".

I've also read that the name "Mauro" identified someone as of Moorish descent. But these peeps were in the Naples area, not Sicily. Maybe they migrated to Naples from Sicily to work...I don't know but I'd be fascinated to find

23&me says 48.6% "Southern Italian/Sicilian", whereas Ancestry.com says 22% "Southern Italian/Sicilian".

Another distant family name was "Vadala", which I've read could mean "someone who loves Alla". I've found all this so interesting.

If anyone has any source information, please post.

[MarcuccioV]

This made think about something and I went back to check -- I found some records for someone in my grandparent's town (Lazio) that had a surname from my grandfather's line that I assumed was a cousin of some degree (not a direct relation) named "Maurizio" (Moorish) and he had a daughter named "Maura". My grandfather was the dark-skinned member on my Italian side.

Maybe a connection, maybe not -- but interesting nonetheless...

[darkerhorse]

Since Moors were Muslims and Arabs love of Allah would make sense but I would think something indicating such ancestry would have shown up in your DNA.

[darkerhorse]

This made think about something and I went back to check -- I found some records for someone in my grandparent's town (Lazio) that had a surname from my grandfather's line that I assumed was a cousin of some degree (not a direct relation) named "Maurizio" (Moorish) and he had a daughter named "Maura". My grandfather was the dark-skinned member on my Italian side.

Maybe a connection, maybe not -- but interesting nonetheless...

I've read that Mauro can mean dark, dark-skinned, or literally Moorish. Of course, Maurizio is a derivative of Mauro.

[darkerhorse]

Relatively speaking, for an Italian to call someone "dark" you'd think they'd have to be really dark.

[MarcuccioV]

Relatively speaking, for an Italian to call someone "dark" you'd think they'd have to be really dark.

I have a pictorial book about my grandparent's town from immediately after the WWII bombings (1945). It shows many of the residents in various settings -- whereas there ARE a few darker-skinned people here & there, most appear light-medium complected (granted this is near Rome and not further south).

In one photo there is a young girl (maybe 10-12, I'm terrible with ages) that has very light skin, light hair, and almost Scandinavian features. In another is a schoolgirl (perhaps 7-8) that although lighter in skin color, is a dead-ringer for my grandfather (especially the thick, heavy eyebrows). Sadly there are no names given in any of the captions, so I have no idea what families they were from...

[MarcuccioV]

Also my BFF's family (parents both from Mezzojuso near Palermo) have varying looks. He is light complected with blue eyes; his middle brother medium with dark eyes & the oldest brother is VERY dark with dark eyes (and looks Greek/Moorish). None of the brothers resemble one another.

His mother was very light (I believe with hazel eyes) & his dad was dark & Greek-looking. The commune of Mezzojuso was once an Arabic settlement...

His Ancestry test gives Sicilian and Greek/Aegean ancestry (not sure about N African, but Ancestry's results are mixed at best).

[darkerhorse]

I know there's diversity I was just making the point that "dark" is relative.

There's a saying "to a foreigner a Yankee is an American, to an American a Yankee is a Northerner, to a Northerner a Yankee is a New Englander, to a New Englander a Yankee is a Vermonter, and to a Vermonter a Yankee is someone who eats pie for breakfast."

Does BFF = cumpare?