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Italian Family History

Italian Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Italiano, Litalien, Talman, Illian, Balian, Atamian, Damian, Kalman

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Italian family from?

You can see how Italian families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Italian family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Italian families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 7 Italian families living in New York. This was about 54% of all the recorded Italian's in USA. New York had the highest population of Italian families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Italian surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Italian ancestors do for a living?

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Italian ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

What Italian family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Italian. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Italian census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Italian

Passenger Lists

There are 140 immigration records available for the last name Italian. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Italian immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 28,000 military records available for the last name Italian. For the veterans among your Italian ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Italian military records

You've only scratched the surface of Italian family history

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What is the average Italian lifespan?

Between 1977 and 1998, in the United States, Italian life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1977, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Italian in 1977 was 43, and 72 in 1998.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Italian

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Italian family tree

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