This Italian surname of BOCANEGRA was a nickname for a talkative or indiscreet person, an orator. The name was originally rendered in Latin documents in the form BOCCA (mouth). Surnames having a derivation from nicknames form the broadest and most miscellaneous class of surnames, encompassing many different types of origin. The most typical classes refer adjectivally to the general physical aspect of the person concerned, or to his character. Many nicknames refer to a man's size or height, while others make reference to a favoured article of clothing or style of dress. Many surnames derived from the names of animals and birds. In the Middle Ages ideas were held about the characters of other living creatures, based on observation, and these associations were reflected and reinforced by large bodies of folk tales featuring animals behaving as humans. The origins of Italian surnames are not clear, and much work remains to be done on medieval Italian records. It seems that fixed bynames, in some cases hereditary, were in use in the Venetian Republic by the end of the 10th century. The typical Italian surname endings are 'i' and 'o', the former being characteristic of northern Italy. The singular form 'o' is more typical of southern Italy. The name is also spelt BOCCHI, BUCCHI, BUCCA, BOCCHETTA, BOCCHINI, BUCCELLO and BOCCHERINI. A notable member of the name was Umberto BOCCIONI (1882-1916) the Italian artist and sculptor born in Reggio. He was the most original artist of the Futurist School, and its principal theorist. An important bronze sculptor 'Unique Forms of Continuity in Space' (1913) is in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. When the first immigrants from Europe went to America, the only names current in the new land were Indian names which did not appeal to Europeans vocally, and the Indian names did not influence the surnames or Christian names already possessed by the immigrants. Mostly the immigrant could not read or write and had little or no knowledge as to the proper spelling, and their names suffered at the hands of the government officials. The early town records are full of these misspelled names most of which gradually changed back to a more conventional spelling as education progressed. |
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