Origins and early history of the surname GHIRARDINI of Val di Sole, from Caldes to Samoclevo. 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 GHIRARDINI article is number 5 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 Ghirardini
Variant: Girardini
Ghirardini is one of several patronymic surnames derived from the male personal name ‘Gerardo’ / ‘Girardo’, which may have the meaning ‘strong like a lance’.[1]
In very early records, you will often find this surname recorded as ‘Girardini’ rather than ‘Ghirardini’. In the Italian language, the letter ‘g’ followed by the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ has a soft ‘g’ sound, which is equivalent in sound to the ‘g’ in English names like George and Gerard. However, after the end of the 1400s, the surname is nearly always found in its present-day form, i.e., ‘Ghirardini’, with a ‘gh’ at the beginning of the name. This is an important distinction, because a ‘gh’ is used in Italian before the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ to indicate the ‘g’ is a HARD consonant, like the ‘g’ in English words ‘gate’, ‘game’, etc. So be sure to pronounce this surname with a hard ‘g’ at the beginning, and not like the name ‘Gerard’.
As with many other patronymic surnames, you will find it in other parts of Italy besides Trentino, with no historical connection to the Trentino families. Today you will find it in the neighbouring province of Bolzano (South Tyrol), as well as in other regions of Italy (mostly in the north), especially Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia and Veneto.
Geographic Origins of the Surname Ghirardini
In Trentino, this surname is native to VAL DI SOLE and is primarily associated with the village of SAMOCLEVO, a locality of the comune of CALDES. Both Caldes and Samoclevo are curate parishes under the larger parish of Malé.
Although mostly in Samoclevo today, evidence suggests the Ghirardini started out in CALDES in the 1300s, and then shifted to Samoclevo sometime in the 1400s.[2]
These two villages are only about 2 kilometres away from each other, and today you can get from one to the other by car in about 5 minutes, even after detouring around the rugged terrain.[3]
The Ghirardini in the 1300s to Early 1400s
The earliest record I have found with this surname is a land sale agreement from 1439, in which a Marino, son of the late Nicola Girardini of CALDES purchases a plot of grazing land in Val di Rabbi.[4] Note that the surname is spelled without the ‘h’ after the ‘g’.
As Marino would have been a legal adult (i.e. over 25 years of age), and there is no reference to the family coming from elsewhere, we can presume his late father Marino was born in Caldes around the era of the Black Death (1347-1352), or shortly after. This is a remarkably early date to find a surname for a non-noble family, as surnames were still very much in a state of flux for most Trentino families in this era.
The Ghirardini in the Late 1400s
By the end of the 15th century, it is apparent that the Ghirardini (often still written as ‘Girardini’) had become a sprawling family in Caldes. In a document drafted on 5 February 1480, which itemises the various assets of the church in Caldes (including income from rents on farmland, etc.), we find several different Girardini families (often with the names of their late fathers mentioned) living in Caldes.[5]
The first document I have found in which the surname is written in its more common present-day spelling is a land sale agreement dated 13 December 1481. Here we find a Pietro, called ‘Segart’, son of the late Marino Ghirardini of Caldes (likely the same Marino as we saw in the previous document), is selling a ‘manso’ (a rural homestead) in Val di Rabbi to Giorgio and Bartolomeo, sons of the late Graziadeo Ghirardini of Caldes.[6]
It is certainly possible that this is the same piece of property (or part of it) that Marino purchased back in 1439. If so, the fact it is now called a ‘manso’ and not a pastureland indicates the land had been developed since its purchase half a century earlier.
I am definitely intrigued by Pietro’s nickname ‘Segart’. Perhaps it is related to the word segatore (a sawyer/woodcutter) or segare (to saw wood either manually or at a mill). Val di Rabbi was still densely forested and not particularly populous in this era. Could Pietro have been developing an enterprise in the lumber production?
A Legacy of Notaries
With all this buying and selling of land, we get the impression the Ghirardini were doing well financially. Indeed, before the end of the 1400s, we start to see them appear as notaries – but now in Samoclevo. Roughly equivalent to contract lawyers today, notaries were held in high regard and were generally highly literate and well-educated. A reputable notary would also have had a pretty decent income.
The earliest Ghirardini notary I have found is Tomeo[7] Ghirardini of Samoclevo, who was active in his profession at least between 1498-1520,[8] [9] and was apparently deceased by 1526.[10] [11] As notaries were usually around 25-26 years old when they started their own practice, we can estimate Tomeo’s birth year to be somewhere around 1470-1475.
We know from his signature on various documents that Tomeo’s father was ‘ser’ Pietro Ghirardini (possibly born around 1440, and apparently died between 1503-1513),[12] [13] and his paternal grandfather was ‘ser’ Antonio Ghirardini[14] (possibly born around 1410 and deceased before 1498).[15]
No other place aside from Samoclevo is ever mentioned in these documents, which is usually an indication that the family had been in that place for at least a few generations. This helps us place the Ghirardini in Samoclevo nearly as early as we found them in Caldes.
Although I have found no documentation to support this, historian Udalrico Fantelli believes that Tomeo’s father Pietro also a notary, as he was decorated with the title ‘ser’. Note that in this era, ‘ser’ was not necessarily an indication of nobility, but rather an honourific to show respect towards a man of education, refinement and/or wealth. If Fantelli is correct, this would seem to infer that Tomeo’s grandfather ‘ser Antonio’ was also a notary, but I have not yet found any documents drafted by either Pietro or Antonio.
By 1513 (and again in 1520) Tomeo signs his name as ‘son of the late Pietro’ (‘del fu Pietro’), so we know his father passed away between 1503-1513.[16]
Tomeo had at least two sons who also became notaries. The more active of the two was Marino (a name was see frequently recurring in later generations of the Ghirardini), who was active in his profession at least between the years 1526-1550.[17] There was apparently a son named Massimino who was also a notary, but I have found him mentioned in only one document from 1526.[18]
The 1618 Carta di Regola of Samoclevo
In 1618, the residents of Samoclevo came together to discuss and draft the ‘Carta di Regola’ (Charter of Rules) for their village. At the meeting, 25 heads of households were present. Of these we find only one Ghirardini, namely Giovanni, son of Antonio Ghirardini (but his name was recorded as ‘Zoan, de Antonio Giardino’). [19] [20]
It’s quite striking to see only one Ghirardini householder mentioned, given that there were 13 Pancheri householders present at the same meeting! That is not to suggest that there was any ‘bad blood’ between the Pancheri and Ghirardini, as we find many marriages between Pancheri and Ghirardini through the generations.
The Ghirardini in Later Centuries
The Ghirardini were extremely prolific throughout the centuries, and there are an impressive 476 Ghirardini births recorded between the years 1815-1923 on the Nati in Trentino website.[21] The majority of these are still to be found in the parish of Samoclevo and other nearby villages in Val di Sole, although by the mid-19th century a few Ghirardini started new lines in Cles in Val di Non.
The surname still exists in both in Val di Sole and Cles today, albeit in much smaller numbers than in the past.
Lynn Serafinn, genealogist
19 December 2024
COMING UP TOMORROW…
This was article 5 in my special 10-part ‘Christmas Surname Countdown’.
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Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
19 December 2024
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NOTES
[1] BERTOLUZZA, Aldo. 1998. Guida ai Cognomi del Trentino. Trento: Società Iniziative Editoriali (S.R.L.), page 163.
[2] This is based on references in various land sale documents, which I discuss later in this article. It is an assumption also shared by historian Udalrico Fantelli. FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 214.
[3] Distance (by car) between Samoclevo and Caldes via Google Maps.
[4] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compravendita, 14 May 1439.’ Nicola, son of the late ‘Caselmus’ of Samoclevo, sells to Marino, son of the late Nicola Girardini of Caldes, a plot of grazing land in Val di Rabbi. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/3566319. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[5] CICCOLINI, Giovanni. 1939. Inventari e Regesti degli Archivi Parrocchiali della Val di Sole. Volume 2: La Pieve di Malé. Trento: Libreria Moderna Editrice A. Ardesi, page 12.
[6] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compravendita, 13 December 1481.’ Pietro, called ‘Segart’, son of the late Marino Ghirardini of Caldes, sells a homestead in the territory of Rabbi to Giorgio and Bartolomeo, sons of the late Graziadeo Ghirardini of Caldes. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/3566609. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[7] Sometimes also spelled ‘Thomeo’, but equivalent to modern name Tomaso/Tommaso.
[8] STENICO, P. Remo. 1999. Notai Che Operarono Nel Trentino dall’Anno 845. Trento: Biblioteca San Bernardino, page 185. NOTE that Stenico has recorded all three of the Ghirardini notaries he lists under ‘Girardini’. He gives dates for Tomeo as 1501,1513 and 1520, but I have found one document dated 1498.
[9] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compravendita, 18 February 1498, Samoclevo.’ Land sale agreement drafted by notary Tomeo, son of ‘ser’ Pietro, son of the late Antonio Ghirardini of Samoclevo. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/42314. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[10] FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 187 (footnote 7).
[11] STENICO, P. Remo. 1999. Notai Che Operarono Nel Trentino dall’Anno 845. Trento: Biblioteca San Bernardino, page 185. ‘1526 Maximinus filius quondam domini Thomae notarii de Girardinis de Samoclevo plebis Maleti vallis Solis imperiali auctoritate notarius.’
[12] FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 187.
[13] In documents dated 1501 and 1503, he is referred to as the ‘son of ser Pietro’, which not only tells us the name of his father, but also indicates his father was still alive at that time. FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 187.
[14] Note that ‘ser’ did not infer nobility (they were not); it was simply an honourific to show respect.
[15] PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO. ‘Compravendita, 18 February 1498, Samoclevo.’ Land sale agreement drafted by notary Tomeo, son of ‘ser’ Pietro, son of the late Antonio Ghirardini of Samoclevo. Archivi Storici del Trentino, https://www.cultura.trentino.it/archivistorici/unita/42314. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[16] FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 187.
[17] STENICO, P. Remo. 1999. Notai Che Operarono Nel Trentino dall’Anno 845. Trento: Biblioteca San Bernardino, page 185.
[18] STENICO, P. Remo. 1999. Notai Che Operarono Nel Trentino dall’Anno 845. Trento: Biblioteca San Bernardino, page 185. ‘
[19] GIACOMONI, Fabio. 1991. Carte di Regola e Statuti delle Comunità Rurali Trentine. 3 volume set. Milano: Edizioni Universitarie Jaca, volume 2, page 544.
[20] FANTELLI, Udalrico. 1996. Samoclevo in Val di Sole e la Sua Carta di Regola. Centro Studi per la Val di Sole, page 52.
[21] 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/.