The Jews In Sicily

menorah

Jewish Names

Sicilian-Americans conducting family research have some excellent published guidelines to follow. Italian Genealogical Records by Trafford R. Cole is one and Finding Italian Roots by John Philip Colleta, is another. By following their suggestions your own research approach would include documenting stateside sources such as: information from relatives, immigration and naturalization records, census records, ship manifests, passports, etc. In Sicily your research would then go to municipal and provincial records which go back as far as the 1820s, then religious records which go back as far as about 1556 and then possibly earlier records such as tax and notary records which go back several hundreds of years farther.

With Ferdinand's Edict of Expulsion of 1492, all Sicilian Jews who did not want to convert to Christianity had 90 days to get out of the Spanish realm under penalty of death. The fire sale was on. The fraction of the Jewish population that were merchants, and had property, had to sell it, pay the tax that was imposed, and leave. This included the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. They all had to sell their tools and workshops, pay the taxes, and leave.

Of course, all transactions had to be dutifully notarized.

As a result of this painful circumstance, some fragments of notary records going back to 1492 exist in Sicilian Provincial State Archives that record the names of the Jewish sellers and the Christian buyers. Francesco Giunta and Laura Sciascia published a paper in Italia Judaica that contains their transcriptions of some of those fragments.

Here's an alphabetical listing of the Jewish surnames and given names extracted from their paper:

Abadara Iesu
Abrac aurifici Paxi
Actuni Busacca
Actuni (Attuni)
Adili David
Allegrottu Simone
Alluxi Sabet
Aluxu Salomone
Anaf Aron
Arnac Salamone
Asunsi Vita
Attuni Bestet
Attuni Busacca
Attuni Manuel
Attuni Samuel
Attuni (Actuni) Azarono
Aurifice Busacca
Aurifice Isacco
Aurifice Leone
Aurifice Sadia
Aurifice (Laurifice) Abram
Azarini David
Azarini Iuda
Azeni Aron
Azeni Bracon
Azeni Geremia
Azeni Manna
Azeni Mosè
Azeni Nissim
Azeni Pietropaolo
Azeni Sadia
Ben Iosep Iacob
Ben Iosep Leone
Ben Iosep Salomon
Benassai Benedetto
Bina Mardoc
Bonet Iosep
Bonu Busacca
Calabrisi David
Calabrisi Nissim
Calabrisi Salomon
Canet Crixi
Canet Donato
Catalano Nissim
Chicheri Gaudio
Chippet Xibita
Chispi Abram
Chispu Manuele
Cuino Abram
Cuino Bonavogla
Cuino Geremia
Cuino Muxa
Cuino Rafael
Cuino Salomone
Cuino Senia
Dat Iuda
Elevi Muxa
Faudali Mardoc
Ficart Busacac
Finei Tobia
Fineni Manuele
Fineni Ricco
Fineni Rinona
Fineni Manuli
Fisico Beniamino
Furnari Iosep
Gazi Grazia
Gibet Xibita
Girachio Gabriele
Girachio Salomone
Girgenti Sadia
Guillelmo Mussuto
Guini Savita
Insize Xibita
Isac David
Isac Muxa
Isac Simone
Isac Xibita
Iuzufi Vita
La Bonavogla Prospero
Laurifice (Aurifice)
Levi Busacca
Levi Lia
Lincio Braxa
Lincio Gabriele
Lincio Iacob
Linzio Sadia
Lisia Xibita
Lu Medicu Abram
Lu Medicu David
Lu Medicu Salomone
Lu Medicu Samuele
Lu Presti Busacca
Lu Presti Iacob
Lu Presti Scibita
Lumedicu Sadono
Lupu Zactarono
Marsili Sabet
Matrimora David
Matrimora Muxa
Millac Muxa
Millac Sabet
Mira Muxa
Mugnay Graziano
Muxa Maxalufo
Muxarella Gandio
Nagira Nissim
Nalini Aron
Nanu Xibita
Polizzi Anna (Xanna)
Rabiki Muxa
Raskisi (Falichisi) Iuda
Rausa Grazia
Russo Attono
Russo Salomone
Sabuti Iesus
Sacerdotu Aron
Sacerdotu Barono
Sacerdotu Busacca
Sacerdotu Gabriele
Sacerdotu Leono
Sacerdotu Lia
Sacerdotu Mardoc
Sacerdotu Salomon
Salamon Abram
Samuel Xue
Sanzato Gentile
Simonis Muxa
Siracusa Abram
Stozu Iosep
Sufi Leone
Sufi Nissim
Susan Salomone
Tagul Asaraz
Tagul Mardoc
Tolu Iosep
Veri Manuele
Veri Perna
Vigivani Muxa
Vigiveni Gabriel
Visa Abrac
Vita Manuel
Xaccaruni David
Xafini Abram
Xamuel Rabin
Xane
Xareri Mardoc
Xattarini David
Xifuni Abram
Xunina David
Xunina Muxa
Xunina Iacob
Xunina Zibita
Zel Abram

Another List

Here's another alphabetical listing of Jewish surnames and given names used in Sicily before 1492. These names were extracted from Professor Martino's paper on The Jews of Messina.
Abbanascia Mosè
Abraham Rabbi Jacob ben
Abulafia Abraham ben Shemuel
Abulrabbi Aaron
Amato
Amergi
Aurifici Aron
Aurifici Vitali
Balsamo
Barone
ben Nachman Mosheh
ben Shalom Rabbi Abraham
Ben Yijù Abraham
Ben Yijù Mubaschir
Ben Yijù Surur
Ben Yijù Shamwal
Ben Yijù Moshe
Ben Yijù Yusuf
Bonanno
Bonavoglia David
Bonavoglia (Heftz) Mosè (Mohe)
Bonfiglio
Brigandi
Bruno
Burrada
Campagna
Catalano Mosè
Chanchio Sacerdote (prob. Rabbi)
Chaninello Muxa
Compagna Aron
Compagna Muxa
Conti Jacob
Conti Rosa
Costantino
da Bertinoro Obadià
di Dioniso Giosuè
di Minisci. Salomone
di Minisci. Azaria
Fermo Elias
Finzi
Gaudio
Gini Salomone
Gini Guglielmo
Hadad Rabbi Nathan ben Sa 'adiah
Hasdaj Mosè
Lagumina G
Marino
Marmici Elia
Mazza
Medici Mosè
Monomato Giovanni
Monomato Pagana
Romano
Scivinell Isacco
Sigilmasi Rabbi Sa 'adiah ben Izahaq
Sigtune
Spangnolo Abramo
Spangnolo Iacopo
Spangnolo Mosè
Staiti
Syminto
Tudela Benjamin
Tzarfati Rabbi Natronay
Zacco Giuseppe
Zacco Gaudio


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This page is maintained by Art Dieli.
Last updated 9/23/18