by Jim Young (guest)
6/26/2005, 5:00 PM
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.