Looking for information on the family name Toncini.

[amt3509]

My grandfather came from Ventimillia in the Piedmont region of italy. The name Toncini is what he used to enter the United States, it is on his Ellis Island records. If you need more information please let me know.

[johnnyonthespot]

We are going to have to begin with that place name; did you mean Ventimiglia? The miglia part is pronounced something like MEAL-ya, hence ven-tee-MEAL-ya and the probable mis-spelling.

There are several places with that name, the most likely being Comune di Ventimiglia, Provincia di Imperia, Regione di Liguria. As you can see here ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_italy ) Liguria is a small region along Piemonte's (Piedmont's) southern border.

[johnnyonthespot]

I forgot to ask: what sort of help are you seeking?

The Italian telephone directory currently lists 33 Toncino's in Italy, none in Ventimiglia. See http://www.paginebianche.it/execute.cgi ... &om=0&l=en

Some very close by however. Go to http://www.gens.labo.net/en/cognomi/genera.html and put Toncini in the Cognome box.

[amt3509]

yes, you are correct about the spelling, I realized it after I sent the message. It is Ventimiglia in Liguria. I have found many Toncini's in Genoa and Milan. We believe that we are related, but are not positive. My parents were given what they were told was the family crest which is a lion (rampant B) holding a fish on a blue striped background. It is alot less fancy than crests I have seen on many web sites.