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in reply to a message by whitehead
Whitehead is an English surname with a pretty obvious meaning, identifying someone with white hair. It may be that Italian emigrants settling in English-speaking countries have changed their name to Whitehead, that being a straight translation of Capabianca. There is also a German surname,Weisskopf, and a Dutch surname, Witcop, with the same meaning. These too might have become Whitehead in some instances.
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The Italian equivalent is actually Capobianco. French has Têteblanche.
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... and Capabianca is probably a regional variant.
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It wouldn't seem so since this form doesn't seem to exist in Italy as shown at http://gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/genera.html. The American Capabiancas must have had their name modified since capo 'head' is masculine.
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