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ArchivesRe: Pellicore
in reply to a message by Tanya
I'd have to take it primarily by the first syllable ...I found "Pell" ...English as a parchment or possibly a variant of pool ...also mentioned as Greek for stone ...
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Italian surnames in old records from XVIth century onwards are written in latin even if they derive from local or regional dialects.
So they were latinized and generally only in 19th century they were italianized.
Perhaps I am wrong, but in Ireland it happened one similar thing:
many Irish surnames have been englicized.
In Italian "pelli" could mean "skin" and in old italian "core" could be "heart" could it be a nickname? I am not sure.
In Southern Italy surnames are sometimes influenced by local greek dialects (Sicily, Calabria and Apulia especially): Greek is completely different from latin. But in the beginning even the greek surnames have been latinized.
So they were latinized and generally only in 19th century they were italianized.
Perhaps I am wrong, but in Ireland it happened one similar thing:
many Irish surnames have been englicized.
In Italian "pelli" could mean "skin" and in old italian "core" could be "heart" could it be a nickname? I am not sure.
In Southern Italy surnames are sometimes influenced by local greek dialects (Sicily, Calabria and Apulia especially): Greek is completely different from latin. But in the beginning even the greek surnames have been latinized.
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First, let me say that I think that the Greek pallikari is the most likely source of the surname Pellicore. I imagine that a latinised version would be something lke Pallicarius. However, I wonder whether a latinised version of the name of some Calabrian "contadino" would appear in the records. Maybe you can correct my thinking here. I suspect that in some remote districts of Southern Italy the adoption of hereditary surnames may have been fairly recent. I also suspect (without a great deal of evidence, that the church and the state would have had little interest in people in remote and impoverished areas - no taxes to collect, no substantial collections for the church. So individuals and families might be known by some nickname, often in a dialect which is unintellible to a governor or a parish priest, educated people drafted in from elsewhere. If these "locals" appear in the court records or parish register they might be given a diffeent name; "Antonius filius Salvatoris", "Josephus Faber". Meanwhile back in their native community they are known by a nickname that is unintelligible to the Signori who administer the comune. But this is the name that stands the test of time, the names imposed by outsiders are ephemeral.
I know I'm straying from the discussion of a single name, but if I can learn something more about Italian surnames my questions will still be in the spirit and purpose of this message board.
I know I'm straying from the discussion of a single name, but if I can learn something more about Italian surnames my questions will still be in the spirit and purpose of this message board.
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