Completely Offtopic: Find Your Surname in Italy (and USA)

By: agiamba | November 24th, 2008

Alright, so the derby loss is hurting a bit less. Can’t win them all in the San Siro, I guess. We’ll just have to get revenge in the Olimpico.

I’m posting this because I thought it was pretty damn cool. This is an Italian genealogical website which maps your surname in Italy based on population surveys. It also has a map for the USA for us Yanks/non-Italians who might be interested on the left-hand side. It’s not perfect, one of my friends names did not come up at all, but I think it’s pretty rare name anyways. My last name, Giambattista, not surprisingly shows up as dominantly in Foggia, which is where the family originally is from many years ago. It’s pretty fun to play around with, and for you stranieri, you might even pick up some “Johnsons” in Italia.

Enjoy.

Some Related Juventus Posts:

Category: Team News

« Sometimes Evil Wins | Home | Zenit St. Petersburg- Juventus »

agiamba

Zenit St Petersburg’s Champions League match at home to Juventus is in doubt after a car exploded in the city during rush hour on Tuesday morning. The blast is thought to have been caused by a grenade and early reports suggest three people, including a young child, have been killed. The vehicle was just 50 meters from the entrance to Udeleyaya underground station, near Zenit's training ground, leading to fears the device may have been intended to be detonated on the metro system.

The Russian Minister for National Emergencies immediately increased security and it is now believed the government may ask UEFA to postpone the tie, which is due to take place at the Petrovsky Stadium at 8:30pm local time (5:30pm GMT).

Italian sources and Uefa expect it to be played, but the Russian government has the final say. What a terrible tragedy.
agiamba

He's mentioned quite a few times about his love for Bari, I can't believe he's stayed all this time. Relegated in his first season there, Tardelli and him had a famous falling-out a few years ago, and he's still with the club.

On a side note, today's game might be called off due a fucking bomb going off in Zenit. What. the. fuck.
Steven

Hehe, that's right, Belgium in the house. I'd love to see Bari back in A. Not only because they have the stadium and the tradition (Chievo what?), but also because Gillet deserves it. I don't get it that teams like Siena, Cagliari or Reggina never went for him.
agiamba

At first I wondered why you'd ask, then noticed your flag, duh.

For what it's worth, he's probably one of the few "guaranteed" a spot if we get promotion, especially considering 1/3rd of our team are loans from another club.
agiamba

Certainly. After the loyalty he's shown the club for the better part of a decade, I hope the club would repay it. That aside, il gatto di Liege is certainly good enough to play in Serie A.
Steven

Ale, small question. If Bari gains promotion (would be nice in the year of their 100th anniversary), do you think Gillet will remain first choice?
Steven

Typing in 'Rossi' gives you Italy with pubic hair.
tito

Yes, "Rossi" means "Rabbit" in Italian... ;^>
Marco P.

Hey guys, here's something for kicks: try putting the name "ROSSI" in the little proggie alessio linked to.
Julian

alessio, that's why I was so surprised. I've never been there but my parents and grandparents tell me all the time that the village is tiny... we literally could be distant cousins lol. I've never been but I'd love to go one day
Pablo

Though I know my grandparents came from Genova, I'm glad to see there are also lots of Varese in Turin :D.
agiamba

Looks like it's Sicilian originally and they migrated to Turin for work.
Juve Bob

Wow! It seems Caruana is pretty comin in Turin. And I always thought my surname was Spanish. oops :P
agiamba

Dal 12 luglio 2005 Alberona è stato inserito dallo stesso nella lista dei "Borghi più belli d'Italia".
agiamba

You've gotta be kidding me, Julian. There's 1,000 people in that village, what are the chances your families from there? I say this in all seriousness, there's a very strong chance we're related. My grandpa moved from there to Bari when he was relatively young, but my mom is strangely interested in genealogy (even odder, not in her side of the family) and was going through records in Alberona. She can prove that we're related to something absurd like 30-40% of the people there, and realistically it's probably significantly higher if you consider distant relatives and the fact her research hasn't found everything.

Ever been there? I've been there briefly, it is the ultimate Pugliese village. Totally in the middle of the country, plenty of fields nearby, completely old-school...an interesting place to visit for sure.
Al

I'm not Italian but there's like less than 10 Arteaga's in Italy. I was hoping there was maybe a tiny colony somewhere of us :(
KJ

Thats pretty cool and accurate..My family name, Ventimiglia, unsurprisingly is dominant in the Palermo region of Sicilia
Julian

alessio- no frigging way. My family is from Alberona too... last name De Martinis
Nolan

I also like how no matter what name you type in to the USA map, New York will always have the largest population.
agiamba

I think what's also interesting is if you search for any stereotypical Southern Italian name, it'll be big in the South, and then in an occasional spots clearly in Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence, etc.
Nolan

This is pretty awesome. It also gives my justification for being a viola fan - my mother's maiden name, Cappelli, seems to be big in Tuscany (The Italian side of my family comes from Naples, but they were originally from Northern Italy, though they don't know specifics.)
agiamba

Speaking of last names, my family is originally from a tiny village in Foggia named Alberona. Patron saint? Giovanni Battista. (hence my last name) Italians aren't very creative.

Better yet, one of my cousins who was born and raised in Bari is named Nicola. C'mon, paesani, use your imaginations!