What's in a name?

[Lindee]

I have just found records that one of my Italian ancestors was named, Patti Nicolina. What would the name "Patti" be short for? It seemed a little unusual to see that written on a death certificate from 1898. Thanks

[juanminbar]

in all probability the italian name would have been...pasquale.

j

[Lindee]

I thought Pasquale was a mans name? Is there a female version?

[JohnArmellino]

Pasqualina is the feminine counterpart to Pasquale. Patti (which I've never encountered in my research) might also be a diminutive of Patrizia.

[misbris]

Are you sure her name was not Nicolina Patti?

[PeterTimber]

There are 603 cities, towns and villagesstretching from Sicily (large numbers) all the way to the northern border regions of people residing in these communities surnamed PATTI. =Peter=

[dragoni]

i have seen a couple of more feminine forms of pasquale in my research such as:

pasquala
pascala

and have also come across many females with the more masculine versions (at least written on civil records):

pasquale
pascale

tommaso

[Lindee]

very good point. It just may be Patti as the last name. Thak you, that will take me in a different direction.

[PeterTimber]

Nicolina is the female diminutive for Nicola which is a male first name.=Peter=

[antusani]

Patti is a very common surname found in the town of Tusa, prov. of Messina, Sicily, the ancestral town of my father's family. I am guessing that the surname is derived from a geographical location, as is my family surname. There is a town in Sicily by the name of Patti. Here is a link to the town site: http://www.pattiedintorni.it/principale%20(eng).htm

Patti is also in the province of Messina, Sicily. There is a very interesting book, Our Italian Surnames, by Joseph G. Fucilla. Though the Patti name is not in the book, it is an interesting research tool for those of Italian ancestry.

Anne

[Eleven]

I agree with Peter. When I read the name, I immediately felt that you had it backwards. Patti is the surname, and Nicolina the first name.

[Lindee]

Thank you so much. This researching is truly an educating experience. I believe she was from Gibellina, Sicily Italy. At least I have something to go by.

Now that I have found her; my grandfather's grandmother, I'm sure it will be a real task to find her records.

[PeterTimber]

Dear Antusani the surname PATTI is indeed an Italian surname listed in the Surname Dictionary as being local in origin ,but widely distributed in Sicily and centered in Messina, Sicily. =Peter=