Martire Etymology

The starting point of this analysis is unquestionably the etymology of the last name. On the right side of the page, the Ottorino Pianigiani’s Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language identifies the origin of the word Martire in the Greek language.

Martire derives from Martyr (Greek: Witness) and Martryrem (in Latin) indicates one who has testified his own faith till the effusion of the blood, till the loss of his life. But, not less interesting, is defined as “The one who suffers from a lot of work and other people's abuse”.

The dictionary of the family last names in USA, of the Oxford University, specifies that the last name, which derives from the Martyr Latin, could be a nickname assigned to a person who has had the role of Martire in a religious battle. It moreover adds that however, a “Saint Martire” has existed, and therefore the last name could not be anything but root of a person’s name.

The problem in the genealogic research concerning this last name is that the word Martire has been remarkably diffused in religious areas, and the term has been extended to those who sacrifice their own life in order to testify their own ideas.
Consequently, the history is full of “Martire”, that in reality do not identify the true sense of the issue, but they are for…. their aim.

Excluding the religious aspects concerning the last name, and concentrating on its origin as an identifying symbol, the researches that I have been able to complete up till now, are taking me back to XV century b.C


1500 Years before Christ? Why so back in time?

Because in that century was the first Greek migration on the Calabria’s coasts. In scattered order, groups of Achei had already reached the coasts of southern Italy around XV and XIV centuries b.C.

There is to remark that the real Greek colonization of southern Italy began approximately the half of VIII century b.C., when the numerous Greek colonies reached the coasts of Sicily and southern Italy.

Being last name with Greek derivation it comes natural to think that it could be (but it is only theory till documents are found) possible that the last name originates from that period.

Today, in Italy, the Martire last name is very dispersed in Cosentino (The area near the city of Cosenza) and Apulia (also in Rome, but because of a much recent emigration) and just in the 720 b.C the richest and ancient colony achea of Italy, founded in the 730-720 b.C., called Sybaris, today Sibari, and it is a step away from Cosenza. After Taranto, it was absolutely the greatest city of Big Greece, with its 100 thousand inhabitants spread in 510 hectares.

For being objective, we do not have to go by force that back in time. It must be kept in mind that still in XV century in Calabria operated the Orthodox Church, suppressed in 1595 from the cardinal Antonio Giulio Santoro submitting it to the Roman Church, and in that period, in the Neapolitan region the Greek was spoken more than the Latin.

Consequently, and this is the conclusion of my first approach, the Martire last name could be have being born, anytime between the 720 b.C and the XV century, and nearly sure, we are talking about a family of an “calabrian-salentina” origin.

To be little more realistic, we must keep in mind that the first last names appear in Italy in the IX century like distinctive prerogative of a privileged class, then step by step the phenomenon spreads more and more, till it gets to the years of renaissance where it spreads enough and Council of Trento of 1564 sanctions the obligation for the parish priests to have a registry of the baptisms with name and last name, so that it can be avoided weddings between blood-related.

Perhaps therefore, with confirmed researches, traces of this last name could be found even if we go way back in time, and certainly till the XV century.

But...Who was the first Martire?

More about the surname
(Extracted from http://www.cognomiitaliani.org)

Martire is very dispersed in the cosentino and Apulia in the native of Bari and the foggiano, it has a stock also to Naples and to Rome, Martiri has a nucleus in Gubbio (PG) and in Rome, with presence also in Lombardy and the Marches, Martiro is unique, derives from the medieval name Martire, of which we have an example in Milan in a Perizia of the Cesarean Room of the Ducato of Milan of September 1546: “In Nominations Dominions Year to Nativitate eiusdem Millessimo Quingentessimo Quadragesimo sexto Indictione first sabbati die proxime mensis septembris. Cum sit quod omnia ET quaecumque bona ET iura, here fuerunt Petri Dominions Martyrdoms Delphinoni fuerint ET sint Cesareae confiscated Camerae ET nominations ipsius aprehensa…”.

Integrations supplied from Stefano Ferrazzi

Martire are more typically southern, with greater stocks in the cosentino, the Neapolitan, the native of Bari and in the foggiano and smaller stocks scattered a little bit in all Italy, Martiri, it is not used as often as the previous (Martire), is present nearly exclusively between the north and the center north of the country, mostly in the region of Perugia, Ancona and Rome, Martiro, unique, would have to be an error of transcription of Martire, all these last names derives from the Christian-medieval name Martire, with the literal meaning of witness and, in sense side, witness of the faith, the one who accepts to sacrifice also his own life in order to testify the thing in which he believes; in smaller cases, however, it cannot be excluded that some of these last names derive from an ancient funny nickname, with the meaning of simple, provincial.
In conclusion, we are talking about the last names or personal names of the prototypes or nicknames attributed to them.

Historical References of the Martire Surname