Most Popular Italian Surnames — Ricci

April 25, 2019

Ricci COA
Ricci COA

Number 7 Italian Surname Ricci

There are at least thirty known spellings of this famous Italian surname ranging from Ricca, Ricci, Ricco and Rizzo, to Riccelli, Rizzillio and Rizzotto. However spelt they are all nicknames, and all derive from the ancient word ‘ricco’ meaning ‘curly’. It is generally accepted that this was originally a nickname given to people with curly hair, however it was also probably more specific and regional, and may have referred to people from the south of Italy or Sardinia. Like most such names, and at least fifteen percent of all surnames are of nickname origins, it is at least seven hundred years since it was first used, with the result that it is now quite impossible to determine the exact original meaning, and to whom it was applied. Only those that were there can be sure of that! In addition surnames of Italian origins usually suffer from a lack of early recordings. This is because Italy did not become a unified country until 1860, prior to that it was a loose confederation of about twelve states. Some insisted on recordings of births and deaths, but most did not bother. To this lack of information has to be added war and general neglect, resulting in the loss of many early registers. We have however secured a number of early recordings and these include: Giovanni Ricci, a witness at Pontelandol, Siena, on February 17th 1545, David Ricca, christened at Angrogna, on June 1st 1652, and Pietro Riccio, christened at Napoli on August 5th 1675.

See the very interesting article on Matteo Ricci below.

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Farmers and Nobles

Matteo Ricci, SJ (1552-1610)

Matteo Ricci, SJ, was a missionary to China who brought his mathematical and astronomical knowledge to China and adapted to Chinese culture.

Matteo Ricci entered the Society of Jesus in 1571. Along with his studies in philosophy and theology, Ricci studied mathematics, cosmology, and astronomy, subjects that would serve him well on his mission to China. In 1578 the Jesuits sent Ricci on a mission to Asia. In 1580 Ricci was sent by Alessandro Valignani, superior of Jesuit missions in the East Indies, to prepare to enter China.

Ricci sailed to Macao, the Portuguese colony in South China. There he took an intensive language course mastering Chinese to perfection. Entering China in 1583 with Michael Ruggieri, his Jesuit companion, Ricci dressed first in the clothing of a Buddhist monk and then later as a Confucian mandarin. Ricci’s aim was to adapt to the customs of China to be more accessible. Ricci also brought with him Western clocks, musical instruments, mathematical and astronomical instruments, and cosmological, geographical, and architectural works with maps and diagrams. These, along with Ricci’s phenomenal memory and mathematical and astronomical skills, attracted an important audience among the Chinese elite.

In 1601 Ricci was called to meet with Emperor K’ang-Hsi in Peking. He was the first western missionary so invited. For nine years Ricci and other Jesuits dialogued with members of the Chinese intelligentsia. In these dialogues Ricci sought to build a Chinese-Christian civilization.

By the time he died in 1610, Ricci left behind 2,500 Chinese Catholics, with many in the educated classes. He also left behind a Treatise on Friendship, a Treatise on Mnemonic Arts, a Chinese translation of Euclid’s Elements of Geometry, a book of Chinese apologetics—The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, and Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man.

After Ricci’s death certain of his decisions were questioned by Church authorities. Especially questioned was Matteo Ricci’s acceptance of Chinese ancestor worship as a legitimate, nontheological memorial to their ancestors that Catholic converts could practice. Later missionaries, not as schooled in Chinese culture, questioned this interpretation and brought their case to the Vatican. After decades of debate, in 1705 the Vatican decided that the Chinese practice of ancestor worship rites was incompatible with Catholic doctrine and was forbidden. Hearing this, the Chinese emperor banned Christian missions from China in 1721, closing the door that Ricci worked so patiently to open.

From Ignation Spirituality

Ricci Links

Ricci Link from Ancestry

Ricci Link from Forbears

Ricci Link from igenea.  They have a research project for Russo.

Description:Welcome to the Ricci Y-DNA genetic project! We invite all males with the Ricci surname from anywhere in the world, but also with the spelling variants: Riccio, Rizzi, Rizzo, Rizza, Lo Riccio, La Riccia, Lo Rizzo and La Rizza to join. This surname group is very frequent in Italy and we would like to discover: 1) how many different Y-DNA lineages bear these surnames and 2) if individuals bearing different variants of the Ricci surname share nevertheless a common ancestor! Requirements:A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. They are of the most interest in cultures where surnames are passed on from father to son like the Y-Chromosome. This project is for males taking a Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test. Thus, the individual who tests must be a male who wants to check his direct paternal line (father’s father’s father’s…) with a Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA111 test and who has one of the surnames listed for the project. Females do not carry their father’s Y-DNA. Females who would like to check their father’s direct paternal line can have a male relative with his surname order a Y-DNA test. Females can also order an mtDNA test for themselves such as the mtDNAPlus test or the mtFullSequence test and participate in an mtDNA project. Both men and women may take our autosomal Family Finder test to discover recent relationships across all family lines. Other surnames in ProjectDe Ricci, De Riccio, De Ritiis, La Riccia, La Rizza, Lo Riccio, Lo Rizzo, Riccio, Rizza, Rizzi, Rizzo  

Various Ricci COA from Stemmario.It

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