A reader wrote asking about the surname Molinelli.  It appears that all Molinelli listed on the ship manifests I looked at that went through Ellis Island were from Bertone. There didn't seem to be any others from that area in Pavia so I continued to look at found a discussion about this very thing on the Italian Genealogy Forum.

The surname itself implies windmill (Mulinello) and windmills are found all over the area.  For anyone interested I would have a look at the the discussion board over at Italian Genealogy and look thorugh the ship records at Steve Morse's Site.

*Sources used: Google, One Step Pages by Steve Morse

Over 100 new names added this month to the Italian Surname Database .

MyHeritage.com has developed a free - an interesting search feature built specifically for genealogy is which is capable of searching hundreds of databases in one query.  Similar to the Ellis Island search query, it gives you variations of what your surname *could* be spelled as which allows you to search using a particular variation.  My surname yielded 30 possibilities which I printed off and inserted into my research binder as a reference guide.


From their site:

"MyHeritage.com Research is a search engine built specifically for genealogy, capable of searching hundreds of major genealogy databases in a single query. It's the most comprehensive genealogy research tool existent today and the first of its kind. In simple terms, this search engine runs each query simultaneously in hundreds of genealogy databases, aggregates the results and displays them in one consolidated report. This gives you more genealogy search power than has ever been available before, in a simple, friendly and convenient interface."

For more on this or to use the feature, visit their pages at: MyHeritage Genealogy.

Finally the Italian Surname Database is back up and running. You will notice a slightly different look and a anti spam feature on the feedback form.  Unfortunately during the upgrade there is a slight possibility that some of the data was lost or corrupted.  Please check the information for your surnames and contact info and send me any corrections so I can add information and make any necessary corrections.  Once again I ask that you please do not send any genealogy related questions through this form as it is only a feedback form and nothing more.  Direct all other questions to the Gente forum and we will gladly try to help you through there.
The format needed to submit names to the database is simply:

Sonsotta
Rovito
Cosenza
Calabria
Nuccia
nuccia@gmail.com

There is no need for headings, periods, capitalized letters (other than then first initial), bold letters, first names of ancestors, etc.  This will cut down on time and editing and allow me to update the site more frequently.

From the History of Italy Website:

The name Italy (Italia) is an ancient name for the country and people of Southern Italy.
Mythological roots of the name date back to a legendary ancient king named 'Italus', though a more likely origin may be from ancient Oscan VÍTELIÚ, meaning "land of young cattle", as Italy was a land rich in cattle since ancient times.
The name Italia was imposed upon the Roman Republic by the conquering Italic tribes of the contemporary Abruzzo region, centering in the area of Corfinium (Corfinio)...

read more »

Italian Names

Italian Names is an interesting website packed full of information and tidbits about Italian Names.  They cover everything from Italian Baby names to the most Common Surnames found in Italy. There is also a page specially for Top Baby Names around the World which not only include Italy but the US, Denmark and Canada. The information is complied using data up to 2004.

Make sure to check out the section where it shows the longest and shortest Italian Surnames found in the Italian White Pages  - Pagine Bianche.

Italian Surname Database

Lost two months worth of data when I tried to upload the new database!  I always back things up but I guess in my haste I deleted the back up file and kept two copies of the old files. This seriously set me back but never one to be defeated I began imputing names again last night.  I may have to put the files up in an Excel format for a while until I catch up but at least all the names *should* be there. If you notice your name missing then please contact me.  The original site should still be intact though as I did have back of that.

Meanwhile I have turned the option to submit new surnames off until I sort out the current back log of names I still have to input again. Currently we have over 2000 user submitted names to the site and I have received several emails about success stories of people having connected because of the Italian Surname Database.

Hopefully I will have this sorted out soon.