ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1443 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1443 ************************************ 3 Jan 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the Italian surname . This letter is a brief answer to your question. As you noted, the family name appears in the 1427 census of Florence. The masculine given name appears in the same census. This given name was common in Italy in the 11th and 12th century, appearing in Latin documents as , , , and in the diminutive . It derived in turn from the word used as a descriptive epithet meaning "Turk, Saracen, Muslim" and hence "non-Christian" (literally or figuratively) and "cruel or savage person". The family name literally means "of the Turk", and probably derived from the nickname. It might have been used for someone related to or living in the household of a man with this nickname [1]. We can't say for certain how early might have been used. We've seen examples of analogous names in Siena as early as the mid-14th century, but we don't have enough data from medieval Italy to make a definite statement [2]. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. For the Academy, Josh Mittleman 3 Jan 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1978), s.n. Turchi. [2] Borgia, L., et. al., eds., _Le Biccherne : tavole dipinte delle magistrature senesi (secoli XIII-XVIII)_ (Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, 1984).