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Re: Scala - why would someone be called ladder?
Doubtless it's from an Italian place name, Scala, there are a few. It probably means a steep slope, somewhere that's a bit of a climb. That's a guess by the way, not gospel.
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Nobody chooses his surname, did you? In the middle age were born surnames like Scala (Italy), Escalier (France), Escala and Escalada (Spain), etc. may be because of families that built o sell ladders in their towns.
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