Naming Traditions

Do you know the Italian tradition of giving names? Have you ever wondered why so many people in one family have the same name? Like all the Joe's in our family.

Here is how it works: The true Italian tradition is as follows:
The first male is named after his paternal grandfather.
The second male is named after his maternal grandfather.
The first female is named after her paternal grandmother.
The second female is named after her maternal grandmother.

Our family did not follow this tradition, however there was some method that appeared to be used in some cases:
The first male is named after his paternal grandfather.
The second male is named after his father.
The third male is named after one of his fathers brothers.
One female is named after her mother.
One female is named after her maternal grandmother.

In the traditional naming scenario, the subsequent children could be named after the parents, a favorite aunt or uncle, a saint or a deceased relative. You will see evidence of this tradition throughout our family tree. Although this custom is pervasive, you should never use this as a method for assuming an ancestor's name. For example, if you know that your grandfather, Francesco, was the oldest son, don't automatically assume that his paternal grandfather was named Francesco. There are exceptions to this naming custom that preclude this assumption. Let's look at a few possible exceptions. If your ancestor had a falling out with his family and was estranged from them, he would probably not name his children after his parents. Or perhaps he was orphaned and didn't know his parents names. A more common exception to the naming tradition is seen in the following scenario. Giovanni Sorrentino names his first born son Luigi, after his father. He has several other children that he names according to custom. When little Luigi is about 8 years old he suddenly dies This was not uncommon. Children often did not live to adulthood in pre-twentieth-century Italy. Since he now has no child named for his father, Giovanni will give the name Luigi to his next son, who happens to be the fourth son. If you were to view this family at this time, the child who appears to be the oldest son is named after his maternal grandfather, not his paternal grandfather. The child named after his paternal grandfather is actually the fourth son. If you were to assume the names of the grandfathers in this situation, you would be wrong.

The Meaning of the Procopio Name

The name Procopio originates from Procopius the Great, a general from Asia Minor who conquered Sicily and southern Italy. He along with Procopius the Lesser settled those parts of Italy and intermarried with the local peoples, hence the name was pluralized to Procopio (meaning many) and the name literally means "Head of the Troops".

About Cutro, Catanzaro, Italy

While visiting Cutro, Catanzaro, Italy in 1998, I learned several things. First of all, the town was very small. When we drove into town in 3 taxi cabs we parked in a small town square. There were row homes going down 2 streets off of the square. In the square, there was an old church, a small grocery store, and a post office. On the long porch of the post office, about 15 old men stood with their top hats, suspenders, and their hands in their waste bands staring out at us. People in their homes peaked out of their windows. It was apparent that it's not a tourist town. While driving into Cutro, off to the left side of the road, was a stone wall in the side of a hill with fresh spring water flowing out of 2 pipes. Many people were walking toward it with carts and buckets and others already standing there. So naturally we had to stop and taste it too, the people just stared at us like we were crazy.

One funny story was when we checked into the hotel. The hotel was only about a 10 minute drive from Cutro and my father, Albert, aka "Abbie", asked the female clerk in Italian where the rest room was. Well, my father learned Italian from his parents a very long time ago, he learned Italian with the native dialect for Cutro, Italy, which they don't speak their anymore apparently. She replied "Sir, I'm sorry we don't have an out house, but the bathroom is right over there and please speak English it's very hard to understand you". She said this in as perfect English as we speak. We teased my dad the rest of the trip.

The area was very beautiful and much more modern than you would imagine. As you are driving down the road the mountains are on one side and the beach is on the other. The water is crystal clear and sand is white. The township of Cutro is on the far edge of the province of Catanzaro and only about a 5 minute drive from the Ionian Sea. The hotels in the area cater mostly to Italians vacationers. The province of Crotone is only a 10 minute drive. This town was a much more bustling city. It is the host to many elegant clothing shops, a very large produce market, and a popular tourist spot for Italians and for foreigners.

Italy is divided up by regions. Each region is divided up by provinces and every province is divided into townships. Every province has a capital city. For example, the province of Crotone has a "capital" township of Crotone.

Our family comes from Italy, in the Region of Calabria, the province of Catanzaro, the township of Cutro. Because we are from the region of Calabria, this would make us Calabrese, Italian. The other provinces in Calabria are Cosenza, Crotone, Vibo Valentia, and Reggio Calabria. After 1922 Cutro became a township of the Crotone province.

Procopio Coat of Arms

The Procopio Coat of Arms, hereby illustrated is officially documented in "Crollalanza's Dizionario Storico-Blasonic. The original description of the Arms (shield) is as follows: (translated from Italian) "Quartered: 1 and 4 blue; two gold apricot trees, uprooted, place horizontally; 2 and 3 gold; four red vertical bands, flanked silver with two black eagles, crowned black".