Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
 Pacifico Coat of Arms / Pacifico Family CrestThis Italian surname of PACIFICO was a nickname for a mild-mannered and even-tempered man. The name was originally derived from the Anglo/French word PACE, and rendered in ancient documents in the Latin form PAX (peace). In Italy the name was used as a given name in the Middle Ages, and the Spanish and Portugese cognates were often assumed as translations of the Hebrew given name Shelomo, by Jews converted to Christianity; in other cases the name may derive from a title of the Virgin, Maria de la PAZ. The name has numerous spellings which include PAICE, PAYZE, PEACE, PAIX, PACHE, PACE, PACI, PASE, PACHOT and PASETTO. In Italy the name is also spelt PUCCINI and PUCCI. The most notable of the name was Giacomo Domenico Michele Seconda Maria PUCCINI (1858-1924) the Italian composer, born in Lucca. At 19 he was an organist and choirmaster in Lucca. Poverty prevented his undertaking regular studies until a grant from the Queen in 1880 enabled him to attend the Milan Conservatory. His first opera 'La Villi' failed to secure a prize in the competition for which it was composed, but it impressed enough for a second work to be commissioned 'Edgar' which failed at its first performance in 1889. 'Manon Lescaut' (1893) was his first success, but then came 'La Boheme' (1896) 'Tosca' and 'Madame Butterfly' (both 1900) which have remained popular favourites. 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. Central Italian heraldry has been much influenced by the church. Families deriving their titles from popes have incorporated papal insignia in their arms, notably the papal tiara and the crossed keys. The heraldry is reflected by the history of the country which has been used as a battlefield for successive German, French, Spanish and Austrian invaders. |
