Italian male name protocol
my question, on my French side of the family the ladies name was preceded by the name Marie or the male was preceded by Jean Baptiste. I am following an Italian family in New Orleans from Sicily. I recently had records pop up with the head of house and wife children born to them in Sicily. There are three boys born to this family with the first name of Antonino on three different dates and record numbers, 1879, 1885, and 1879 so far. My question is is this the same pattern as the French I mentioned? or should I expect at some point to find two of these boys died and the family just kept naming the boys until one lived? I know of one that made it to Louisiana, but no mention of the others coming over. Then again, there is a daughter whose father is the same name as one of the boys born but i have not made the connection to his parents. but they are all born in the same village.
Thank you for your time…. john gardner
Comments
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@John Charles Gardner
I suggest you post your query in the Italy Research group where there are several qualified Italian genealogists ready to assist.
Hope this helps.1 -
As @Áine Ní Donnghaile has suggested, this discussion is better served in our Italy Research group where we can help you rather quickly if you provide detailed links, full names and dates, and Sicilian town names.
The short answer to your question is "both."
Italian names may often include an honorific name which precedes the actual name used in life. Maria is the most common honorific name, and while used primarily for women, even men may have this in their name somewhere. So, Maria Rosa, or Domenico Maria, etc… Likewise, Giuseppe is also a very common honorific name for men, so not unusual to see Giuseppantonio later becoming known as Antonio.
Much more common than the use of honorific names is the Italian naming convention for children. In summary, a couple's first 4 children's names (if two boys and two girls) are determined by the paternal and maternal grandparents. If the first male son was named Antonio, you can rest assured his paternal grandfather was probably named Antonio (unless the mother's father was Antonio and recently died). If that child died, the next male would be named Antonio. And so on. It is not uncommon to find 3 or more children with the same name if those born before did not survive.
Also, as a twist, if the husband's first wife dies and he remarries, their first son and first daughter will once again be named after the father's parents, even though they may have half-siblings with the same names.
Hope this helps you with your research.
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