- Built for Hamburg-American Line, Germaan flag, in 1889 and named Italia. Hamburg-New York service. Also made sailings for Red Star Line and America Line (Mediterranean service). Chartered by Sloman Line, German flag, in 1900 and renamed Milano. Sold to Deutsche Levant Line, German flag, in 1903 and renamed Tenedos. Became a Turkish auxiliary naval cruiser in 1914. Torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine off Turkey in 1915. Built by Armstrong, Mitchell & Company, Walker-on-Tyne, England, 1889. 3,564 gross tons; 344 (bp) feet long; 43 feet wide. Steam triple expansion engines, twin screw. Service speed 11 knots. 1,450 passengers (50 first class, 1,400 third class).
Also, be certain to stop at my Italian Heraldry and Anthems Website.
Like many third-generation Italo-Americans, I have a strong
interest in my ancestry and heritage. My interest extends,
naturally, to genealogy, and also to onomastics (the derivation
and meaning of names) and to heraldry. This paper is the result
of my delving into the meaning of my family name.
My Alfano ancestors came to America from the Comune of Angri in
the Province of Salerno, Campania Region. Angri is located
approximately 20 kilometers west-northwest of the City of
Salerno, which is located about 42 kilometers east-southeast of
Naples. Angri is an industrial town, known particularly for
manufacturing textiles. In 1981 it had a population of 27,040.
The ancient Mons Lactarius (south of Angri) was the scene of the
defeat of the Ostrogoths in 553 by Narses. There is a comune
called Alfano about 75 kilometers southeast of the City of
Salerno. (RMcN, pages 58, 59 & 64 and Webster, page 52.)
The surname Alfano is thought to be patronymic in origin, based
on the first name of a father. Alfano was a popular medieval
personal name. It is ultimately derived from the Latin personal
name Alfanus. The origin and derivation of the name is
uncertain. Since it occurs in northern Italy, it is not of
Arabic origin, but its widespread appearance in southern Italy
and Sicily negates a Germanic origin. A Norman derivation has
been suggested because of the appearance of the similar surname
Alphand in France. Many Alfanos in the Naples area may owe their
origin to the place called Alfano in the province of Salerno.
Saint Alfano was Archbishop of Salerno in the eleventh century.
(HRC & DeFelice, page 50. )
Sant' Alfano (or St. Alfanus) was a monk of Montecassino, who was
consecrated archbishop of Salerno at Rome in 1058. He assisted
Pope St. Gregory on his deathbed. He was a member of the Order
of St. Benedict, i.e., a Benedictine. He died in 1085. His
feast day is October 9. (Benedictines, page 36)
There is a Classic Greek word which transliterates as "alfano."
Since it is a Classic Greek word, it does not appear in
dictionaries of Modern Greek, but only in lexicons which provide
guidance for students of such classic literature as Homer's
Odyssey and Iliad. The word "alfano" in Greek is translated into
English as "to bring in, to yield, to earn." (Liddell & Scott
[1992], page 39.) Other Classic Greek dictionaries expand the
meaning somewhat giving: "to get, to acquire," (Liddell & Scott
[1993], page 37.); "to bring" (Keep, page 18.); "to yield (a
price)" (Cunliffe, page 24.) and "to fetch" (Liddell, Scott, and
Jones, page 74.) Between 750 and 550 B.C. the Greeks
established colonies in southern Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia)
- Kyme (Cumae), Neapolis (Naples), Krotoon (Crotone), Taras
(Taranto), Akragas (Agrigento), Syracuse and many more. (Hogarth,
page 24.)
So just what does "Alfano" mean as an Italian family name and
where does it come from? Most Italian language dictionaries give
us no clue; I'd checked several before I came across a couple
that appear to verify the "horse" derivation, and indicate that
the word cited is archaic:
Additional support for the "horse" derivation is found in Evans:
"Famous Horses of Myth and History...
Alfana ("mare"). Gradasso's horse in Orlando Furioso." (page
562) "Orlando Furioso (Orlando mad). An epic poem in 45
Cantos, by Ariosto (published 1516-1533). Orlando's madness is
caused by the faithlessness of Angelica, but the main subject of
the work is the seige of Paris by Agramant the Moor, when the
Saracens were overthrown." (page 808) "Ariosto, Ludovico
(1474-1533) Italian poet, author of Orlando Furioso." (page
48)
I guess you could say that the Alfanos are the original "Italian
Stallions!"
We're told that in Latin "Alfanus" was a personal (given) name,
and that there's a French cognate in the family name "Alphand."
We see that "the Greeks had a word for it," so to speak, and that
the Greeks had colonized the Naples area several centuries before
Christ.
Since the Greek "alfano" means "to bring in," I speculate that
the name "Alfano" was first applied to a person in Magna Graecia
who "brought in" (harvested) the "yield" of certain crops. This
would give the name an original meaning of "harvester." Since a
good harvest is associated with prosperity, the name could also
be interpreted as meaning "one who is prosperous." The other
definitions, such as "to acquire," tend to further support the
"prosperous" speculation.
The Greek "Alfano" (as a given name) may well have lasted as the
Roman Empire grew to dominate all of the Italian peninsula and
beyond. The Latin "Alfanus" would be a direct Latinizing of the
Greek given name.
At some point in time, there may have been an "Alfanus," or an
"Alfano" who performed some feat or feats requiring great
strength. This would account for the "strong as a horse" meaning
given in HRC and in Smith, and might be the source of the archaic
Italian word "alfana." At this point I can't tell which came
first. If my speculation is correct, the name would have
traveled with either the Greeks or the Romans as they conquered
most of the Mediterranean, ultimately resulting in names like the
French "Alphand," which, by its "ph" reveals its Greek origin,
since French and English use "ph" for the "f" sound when it comes
from the Greek letter "phi".
An e-mail message from John Cusimano dated 13 November 1996, brings
this information about the Arabic origin of the name Alfano for those
of Sicilian ancestry:
It mentions that there can be several different origins for same
names. It is interesting to see the Arabic possibilities.
If you are of Sicilian roots, you should consider subscribing
to Arba Sicula. Write:
Gaetano Cipolla, Ph.D
I speculate that this Arabic derivation may also hark back to the Classic
Greek, since one who gathers, fetches, and acquires may well be perceived
as being greedy. And we must remember that the ancient Greeks traveled to the east as well as to the west.
My research demonstrates that if you get really serious about
researching the meaning of your name you may have to dig a little
deeper than the often-quoted onomastic works by DeFelice, Fucilla
and Smith. But if you enjoy doing research, the prize is often
well worth the chase.
Cunliffe, Richard John A LEXICON OF THE HOMERIC DIALECT,
University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1963.
DeFelice, Emidio DIZIONARIO DEI COGNOMI ITALIANI, Arnoldo
Mondadori Editore S.p.A., Milano, 1978.
Evans, Ivor H. BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE,
Fourteenth Edition, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1991.
FAMILY NAME HISTORY - ALFANO, The Historical Research Center,
Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL, 1992. (A computer-generated sheet
"suitable for framing" sold by HRC in locations such as Busch
Gardens, Williamsburg, VA, where I purchased a copy on August 26,
1993. - Cited as "HRC.")
Hazon, Mario DIZIONARIO INGLESE-ITALIANO ITALIANO-INGLESE,
Garzanti, Milano, 1961.
Hazon, Mario DIZIONARIO INGLESE-ITALIANO ITALIANO-INGLESE,
EDIZIONE PRATICA SCOLASTICA, Garzanti, Milano, 1963.
Hogarth, James (translator) BAEDEKER'S ITALY, Prentice-Hall Inc.,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. (no date, circa 1990).
Keep, Robert P. A HOMERIC DICTIONARY FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES,
Harper & Brothers, New York, 1891.
Liddell, H.G. and R. Scott AN INTERMEDIATE GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON,
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1889 (1992 Reprint).
Liddell, H.G. and R. Scott A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON, ABRIDGED
EDITION, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1871 (1993 Impression).
Liddell, Henry George D.D., Robert Scott D.D. and Sir Henry
Stuart Jones D. Litt. A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON, NEW EDITION,
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1940.
RAND MCNALLY ROAD ATLAS OF ITALY, Rand McNally & Co, Chicago,
1990. (Cited as "RMcN.")
Smith, Elsdon C. NEW DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN FAMILY NAMES, Harper
& Row, New York, 1973, (Gramercy Publishing Co., N.Y., reprint,
1988).
WEBSTER'S NEW GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, Merriam-Webster, Inc.,
Springfield, Mass., 1984. (Cited as "Webster.")
This 2-page Family Group Sheet was prepared by Bonnie Favazza, and offered on
a couple of Italian genealogy Internet mailing lists. Bonnie and I have made a few
refinements and corrections to her original document, and have uploaded
it to my Web site to make it permanently available for downloading. The sheet consists
of 2 pages in MS Word format. Thanks to Riccarda Mescola of the Comunes of Italy Mailing List for a technical correction (1 February 2004).
Married, father of two daughters. Interested in Italian-American
Genealogy. Member of POINT (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together).
A Guide to This Page
What does Alfano mean?
The Names and Locations that I am
Researching
A Genealogy Tool for You - Italian Language Family Group Sheet
Places to Visit on the 'Net featuring Italian
genealogy, history and culture
Finding A Catholic Parish In Italy - an on-line parish locator by town or city
Italian On Line Telephone Directories - a practical
guide to these on-line resources
Italian Computer Games - download software for Italian card games such as Briscola, Scopa, Sette e Mezzo and Tresette, the Gioco Dell'Oca board game, and Computer Bocce.
Italian Genealogy Tips
Literary Links - Italian Literature on the Web
Scholarly Stuff - Scholarly Organizations devoted to things Italian
Information about Immigration Passenger
Lists
Italian Postal Code Finder Program
Traveling To Italy From The U.S.?
Italian Regions, Provinces & Comunes - Selected Sites
to Explore
Telling Time - Old Italian Style useful in interpreting old birth, marriage and death records
Immigration From Italy To The U.S. 1820 - 1945
In the Spring and Fall issue of Arba Sicula (Sicilian Dawn),
the Journal of Sicilian Folklore and Literature, there is a
short article called: Arabic Roots in Sicilian Names, that
gives some interesting possiblities to consider:
Modern Foreign Languages and Classical Studies
St. John's University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Jamaica, New York 11439
Italian Language Family Group Sheet
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