A new search feature has been added to the Italian Surname Database  (thanks to Stephen P Morse's One-Step Search Tool Generator )which offers more flexibility as you can now search not only by surname but by town, province or region.  I don't expect there to be any major bugs with the feature but I am still tweaking it so should you find something not quite right please let me know. 

A widget has also been added to the sidebar so you can now view updated posts to this blog right from the website.  As always, I continue to look forward to any comments, suggestions or feedback about this new look and what can be done to improve it further.

Enjoy!

 Leave it to Nick Gombash of Hungary Exchange to trace Lady Gaga's roots - especially since she has both Sicilian & German roots!  Lady Gaga was born Stefani Germanotta and whose parents both shared Italian ancestry.  

Lady Gaga's paternal grandfather was Joseph Anthony Germanotta. He was born to Italian immigrants from Naso, Messina, Sicily..

I could say more but I'll let Nick tell you.  To read more visit Nick Gombash's Genealogy Blog -  which by the way was voted by Family Tree Magazine as one of the top 40 Blogs in 2012.  His post titled The Family Tree of Lady Gaga  includes a detailed family tree chart of Gaga's ancestry.

 While this family is from Malta they seem to have roots in Sicily so worth taken a look at.   Some very interesting genealogies  posted dating back to the 1300's which are linked to several noble families such as Gatto, Aragona, and Ragusa to name a few.

 The Noble Family of Solimella, who held in fief the garden of Gomerino (pre-1318), also acknowledged as Milite in a letters patent relative to the Captaincy of Malta.  This family is listed as a noble family in “Descrittione di Malta” (1647)....

read more »

Source:  Maltagenealogy

If you have Waldensian roots then you might want to check out the website at Finding Your Waldensian Ancestor.  Looks like the author(s) did quite a bit of research on the subject as the site is very nicely laid out and is user friendly.  There are several areas to explore which include an introduction to the non profit group Piedmont Families Organization, a brief historical sketch of the Waldensian's, reading list and family researchers.

They have compiled a list of known  Italian/Waldensian surnames based  on the book by Osvaldo Coisson, I Nomi di Famiglia delle Valli Valdesi  - some of which surprised me.  You may also submit Waldensian surnames if yours is not already listed.  Lots of good information.  Worth a read.

This wonderfully informative site is an excellent starting point to researching your Jewish/Italian ancestry.  You'll find everything from DNA information to former surnames of Jews by provinces such as Rome, Venice and Sicily. There are also plenty of resource links to explore.  Definitely worth checking it out!

From Italian Family History:

Italy has a very important role in Jewish history and genealogy: it is located centrally on the Mediterranean sea and serves as an important crossroad and an intersection between North and South, East and West, Sephardic and Ashkenazi culture.

If your ancestors lived in or came from Europe, there are many possibilities that a branch of your family went through Italy.

read more from this site » »

New names added to the Italian Surname Database 4 Nov 2012.

Surnames include:

Amato
Arpacci
Chitè
Ciscione
Clementi
Critelli
Cipparrone
Cumbo
Fantozzi
Fatheryar
Grupposo
Mandala
Mezzanares
Olivieri
Palermo
Rosini
Tombsiano
Quarttrucci
Zarola

Plus many, many more.  To add your surnames visit the Feedback page.  Submissions should look like this:

Surname
Town
Province
Region
Your Name
Your Email

No other information is needed.

Thought this article shared by Bill West of West in New England on Facebook this morning about most popular baby names over the last century was kinda of fun.  It's interesting to note that in 1911 the two most popular first names in the U.S. were John and Mary.  In the records I've extracted to date on the Calabria Exchange the two most popular Italian fist names for many of the years were Giuseppe and Maria. 
To read the full article see:

Most popular baby names, 2011 vs. 1911: ‘William’ stands the test of time