Brief history of the PUGNETTI surname in Val Rendena and Larido in the parish of Santa Croce del Bleggio. By genealogist Lynn Serafinn.
My ‘Christmas Surname Countdown’
As you may already know, this month I am on a mission to publish a new surname study every day between December 15th and December 24th (Christmas Eve). To keep it a surprise, I’m not going to announce which surnames I’ll be posting on which days.
This PUGNETTI article is number 3 of 10 in this series. If you enjoy it, and you want to keep it to print out or share with family, you can purchase it as a 7-page PDF for $1.50 USD, using the form below.
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Linguistic Origins of the Surname Pugnetti
Variants: Pugneto; Pugnetus (Latin)
Some linguistics say that the surname Pugnetti is said to be derived from the dialect word ‘pugnatel’, which refers to a small handful (fistful) of something.[1], [2]
I disagree with this explanation, however. Note that the Latin word for ‘fist’ is ‘pugnus’ (‘pugno’ in Italian), and the verb ‘to fight’ is ‘pugnare’ in both Latin and Italian (from which we get words like ‘pugnacious’, ‘pugilistic’, etc.). In some early records, we find the surname Latinised as ‘Pugnetus’, which can refer to a fighter. Thus, the surname might have been derived from a nickname given to someone who was either a good fist fighter/boxer, or who was notoriously prone to getting involved in fist fights.
Possible Geographic Origins of the Pugnetti – A Theory
The surname Pugnetti is a relatively uncommon surname, with only around 110 Pugnetti families said to be living in Italy today. It is almost definitely a surname of northern Italian origin, with the largest number of present-day Pugnetti living in the regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (especially in the province of Udine), Lombardia (especially in the province of Brescia), and Piemonte (especially in the province of Torino).[3] Interestingly, the same website that shows this data indicates there are no Pugnetti living in Trentino-Alto Adige today, although another Trentino-based website says there are about five Pugnetti individuals currently living in the province.[4]
While present-day population figures are not always accurate indicators of population statistics in the past, the fact that the surname is nearly (or completely) extinct in Trentino today leads me to wonder if it had originally been an ‘import’ from one of the places where the surname is more common. If so, as the Trentino Pugnetti first appear in Val Rendena (the northern part of Val Giudicarie Interiore), the most logical point of origin would be in the province of Brescia, which lies in a straight line to the southwest, along the coast of Lake Garda. I feel this is a feasible theory, as I know of other Giudicarie families (the Fenice and Scalfi, for example) who had their origins in the province Brescia.
I should stress, however, that this is ONLY my own theory, and in the absence of available records, it may not be provable, unless Y-DNA tests can be carried out between male Pugnetti from both provinces.
The Early Pugnetti of Val Rendena
Whatever their ultimate origins, the Pugnetti were already living in Trentino by the late medieval era.[5] More specifically, we find them in Val Rendena (part of Giudicarie Interiore), where they were apparently living at least since the early 1400s.
In a land sale agreement dated 28 May 1484, for example, we find a Giacomo, son of the late Pietro ‘Pugneto’ of VILLA RENDENA (marked in RED in the map below) selling a plot of grassland.[6] As Giacomo would have been a legal adult (i.e., over the age of 25), and his late father is not cited as having been from someplace else, we can confidently assume that the family lived in Villa Rendena at least since the first half of that century.
MAP: Val Rendena with Bleggio to the east. The RED marker indicates the location of Villa Rendena. (Made with Family Tree Maker 2019).
A bit over a century later, we find among the pergamene (legal parchments) from the comune of Fisto di Rendena, a document dated 2 August 1605, in which an Antonio Pugnetti of Vigo Rendena is cited as one of the elected arbitrators in a dispute.[7] A few years later, in 1629, we find a Nicola ‘Pugnetus’ cited as one of the sindaci (mayors) of Vigo Rendena present at a meeting to settle a dispute over right of transit.[8]
Among the list of vicini present at the drafting of the 1739 Carta di Regola (Charter of Rules) for Villa Rendena, we find the names of a Giovanni and a Giacomo Pugnetti of that village.[9]
The Pugnetti of Larido in Bleggio
During the Napoleonic era, a new branch of Pugnetti started in frazione of LARIDO, in the parish of Santa Croce del Bleggio in Val Giudicarie Esteriore (Larido is indicated by the RED marker in the map below).
The branch started when a Bartolomeo Pugnetti of Villa Rendena married Margherita Fusari of Larido in Bleggio.[10] After spending a few years in Bartolomeo’s native village, to couple moved to Larido sometime by 1812, before the birth of their daughter Maria Teresa.[11]
The couple had at least 7 children, but it seems that only one son – Bartolomeo Antonio – survived and carried on the family surname.[12] Marrying Domenica Margherita Rocca of Marazzone (in Bleggio) in 1842, the couple had 9 children (five sons and four daughters). Of these sons, I know at least three married and had families of their own. Their grandson Alpino Silvio Pugnetti (married to Santa Elvira Troggio of Larido) emigrated to the United States after World War 1, where his descendants live to this day.[13]
The Pugnetti in Trentino Today
As mentioned earlier, the Pugnetti surname appears to have all but died out in the province of Trentino today. We can see its gradual decline in Val Rendena during the 19th century, with only 15 Pugnetti births in Villa Rendena, the last one occurring in 1882.[14]
In contrast, there were over three times more Pugnetti births (52) recorded in the parish of Santa Croce del Bleggio[15] between 1815-1923, the most recent one being in 1916.[16] We know that an Amadio Marco Pugnetti of Larido (born 29 January 1909) fought in World War 2 in the province of Catanzaro in Calabria until the unit was disbanded on 8 September 1943.[17] Presuming he returned to his native village after the war, we can assume the surname was still present in Larido in the mid-20th century.
The online statistics are moderately conflicting, as one site reports there are no more Pugnetti in Trentino at all, while another site claims there are about five people with the surname currently living in Pelugo di Rendena.[18]
Of course, this does not mean the descendants of the Pugnetti of Trentino have died out. As we’ve seen, some now live in America, and there may be others in other places I have yet to learn about (please feel free to contact me if you are descended from the Pugnetti of Rendena or Bleggio). And, as always, many of their descendants will be via the daughters of Pugnetti who, although not passing on the surname, certainly passed on their DNA.
Lynn Serafinn, genealogist
17 December 2024
COMING UP TOMORROW…
This was article 3 in my special 10-part ‘Christmas Surname Countdown’.
If you liked this article and want to keep it to print or share with family, you can purchase it as a PDF for only $1.50 USD here:
| Buy eBook 'The PUGNETTI of Rendena and Bleggio' | |
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| Buy A4-size PDF: | |
| CLICK HERE to see all of Lynn's eBooks in the Digital Shop. | |
Tomorrow will be a brand new surname history. If you want to receive an announcement each time one of my ‘Christmas Surname Countdown’ articles/eBooks is published, be sure to subscribe to this blog in the subscription box below.
If you have any questions, comments or insights to add, please do not hesitate to post them here on the blog, or to write to me via https://trentinogenealogy.com/contact.
Until next time!
Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
17 December 2024
P.S. I am currently taking client bookings for February 2025 and beyond. If you would like to book a time to discuss having me do research for you, I invite you to read my ‘Genealogy Services’ page, and then drop me a line using the Contact form on this site. Then, we can set up a free 30-minute chat to discuss your project.
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NOTES
[1] BERTOLUZZA, Aldo. 1998. Guida ai Cognomi del Trentino. Trento: Società Iniziative Editoriali (S.R.L.), page 283.
[2] Example of the dialect word in use is given in CONOSSER. L’enciclopedia per capir i trentini, 77. Accessed 20 November 2024 from https://www.televignole.it/conosser/.
[3] COGNOMIX. Mappe dei cognomi italiani. ‘Pugnetti’. https://www.cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani/. Data accurate as of 17 December 2024.
[4] ITALIA.INDETTAGLIO.IT. I Comuni e le Frazioni d’Italia: Motore di ricerca sui cognomi in Trentino-Alto Adige. ‘Pugnetti’. Data accurate as of 20 November 2024 at https://italia.indettaglio.it/ita/cognomi/cognomi_trentinoaltoadige.html/
[5] Bertoluzza mentions a reference to an ‘Alberto de Pugneto of Stenico’ (Giudicarie Esteriore) in a document dated 1223, but I think that is a bit of a red herring, not related to the Pugnetti surname. BERTOLUZZA, Aldo. 1998. Guida ai Cognomi del Trentino. Trento: Società Iniziative Editoriali (S.R.L.), page 283.
[6] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compravendita, 28 May 1484.’ Land sale agreement between Giacomo, son of the late Pietro ‘Pugneto’ of Villa Rendena and Bartolomeo, son of the late Marchetto of Bolbeno. Drafted by notary Giacomo di Benvenuto (Benvenuti) of Bolbeno. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/5652921. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[7] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compromesso tra Fisto, Ches e la comunità di Bocenago, Tuesday 2 August 1605, Campiglio.’ Antonio Pugnetti of Vigo Rendena is cited as one of the elected arbitrators in a dispute between the comuni. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/1703936. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[8] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Transazione, 5 June 1629, Bocenago.’ Nicola ‘Pugnetus’ cited as one of the sindaci (mayors) of Vigo Rendena present at a meeting to settle a dispute over right of transit. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/2364128. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[9] GIACOMONI, Fabio. 1991. Carte di Regola e Statuti delle Comunità Rurali Trentine. 3 volume set. Milano: Edizioni Universitarie Jaca. Volume 3, page 290. Those present would be men over the age of 25 who were regarded as permanent residents with the right to vote in local decision-making.
[10] The couple married in Bleggio on 15 October 1805 [Santa Croce del Bleggio parish records, marriages, volume 3, no page number].
[11] Maria Teresa was born in Larido on 24 Januar 1812 [Santa Croce del Bleggio parish records, baptisms, volume 7, page 58].
[12] Bartolomeo Antonio Pugnetti (apparently named after his paternal grandfather) was born 22 October 1821. NATI IN TRENTINO. Provincia autonomia di Trento. Database of baptisms registered within the parishes of the Archdiocese of Trento between the years 1815-1923. https://www.natitrentino.mondotrentino.net/.
[13] Information about their descendants was sent to me via private message, from one of the members of my Trentino Genealogy Facebook group.
[14] The last Pugnetti of Villa Rendena on the Nati in Trentino website is Giuseppe Pugnetti, born 18 July 1882. https://www.natitrentino.mondotrentino.net/.
[15] Nati in Trentino shows 73 births in Bleggio Superiore, but 21 of these are duplicates that were registered in both the curate of ‘Quadra’ and in the mother parish of Santa Croce del Bleggio (hence, only 52 births).
[16] The most recent Bleggio Pugnetti birth on the Nati in Trentino website is for an Ada Pugnetti, born 14 May 1916. https://www.natitrentino.mondotrentino.net/.
[17] ARCHIVIO DI STATO DI TRENTO. ‘Ruoli Matriculari 1867-1913’. Database men born in Trentino between the years 1867-1913 who served in the military (either for Austro-Hungarian Empire or Italy). https://archiviodistatotrento.cultura.gov.it/Ruoli_matricolari/ .
[18] ITALIA.INDETTAGLIO.IT. I Comuni e le Frazioni d’Italia: Motore di ricerca sui cognomi in Trentino-Alto Adige. ‘Pugnetti’. Accessed 20 November 2024 at https://italia.indettaglio.it/ita/cognomi/cognomi_trentinoaltoadige.html/
