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  Depalma Coat of Arms / Depalma Family CrestThe Spanish and Italian surname of DEPALMA was originally derived from the Old French PAUMER, meaning one who made pilgrimage to the Holy Land, so called from the palm branch he carried. Such pilgrims generally brought back a palm branch as proof that they had actually made the journey, but there was a vigerous trade in false souvenirs, and the term also came to be applied to a cleric who sold indulgences. In Spain identifying patronymics are to be found as early as the mid-9th century, but these changed with each generation, and hereditary surnames seem to have come in slightly later in Spain than in England and France. As well as the names of the traditional major saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common Spanish surnames are derived from personal name of Germanic origin. For the most part these names are characteristically Hispanic. They derive from the language of the Visigoths, who controlled Spain between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries. 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. 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. The associated coat of arms is recorded in Rietstaps Armorial General. Registered in Italy. |
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