Bertolini Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Bertolini last name means, where the surname began and where it was first recorded.
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Meaning and origin of the Bertolini last name
Meaning of the Bertolini last name: little Bertolo (Bartholomew). Bertolini comes from Bertolino, a diminutive of Bertolo, a medieval northern Italian short form of Bartolomeo, Bartholomew. In some families it may come instead from Germanic names in bert-, "bright", such as Bertoldo. The surname is most frequent in Lombardy, Trentino, the Veneto and Emilia, and in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The many forms of the name reflect the popularity of Saint Bartholomew, the apostle, whose feast on 24 August was widely kept in northern Italian towns and villages. Local speech shortened Bartolomeo to Bertolo, Bortolo and Meo, each giving rise to its own family names. The -ino ending was a common affectionate diminutive, used both for a small child and for the son of a man called Bertolo, and the plural -i marks a family group, typical of Lombardy and Emilia. Emigration from the Alpine valleys and the Po plain carried Bertolini families to France, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil and the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Bertolini name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Bertolini name in Italy. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Switzerland and Brazil; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
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Your full Bertolini pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Bertolini coat of arms for you.
Bertolini name FAQ
What does the Bertolini name mean?
Little Bertolo (Bartholomew). Common variants include Bertoli, Bertola, Bortolini.
Where does the Bertolini surname come from?
It originates in Italy, and is also found in the United States, Switzerland and Brazil.
Is there a Bertolini coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Bertolini crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Bertolini coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: De Felice, Dizionario dei cognomi italiani; Caffarelli & Marcato, I cognomi d'Italia; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).