CrINCOLI

“Le Crincoli di vallata”

Antonio C Crincoli

118 Schimmel Street

Paramus, NJ 07652 USA

The Crincoli Genealogy Homepage

CrINCOLI

To contact us:

Phone: +1.201.523.4166

Email: [email protected]

Welcome to the Crincoli Genealogy Web Site !!!

What follows is the story of my life’s work and personal quest for the origins of the Crincoli family. I have traced the family origins in Vallata (Avellino, Italy) in both civil and religious registries, census data, military registration, notary and feudal records as well as family lore.

Much research has occurred since this site was launched in 2002. Although still a work in progress, additional resources have been indexed and others discovered documenting almost 6 centuries. I hope all Crincolis through out the world will enjoy this site and send me your comments.

Author: Antonio Carmelo Crincoli Updated: December 2013

Family Name History

The Italian surname Crincoli has three different origins. The first is toponymic, deriving from the place name Crincoli situated in Calabria. Probably the origin of this place name is found in the word of the Calabrian dialect "crinculu", meaning "ring of willow". In this case the surname would indicate someone who resided or worked in Crincoli. The surname could derive also from the Latin "crinis" and its diminutive "criniculus". "Crinis" has two different meanings; it could signify "hair" or "the ridge of a mountain". If the derivation is from "hair, the surname is of nickname origin, being one of those names based on a physical characteristic of the original bearer. Thus the progenitor would have been someone with little hair or some other particular attribute concerning the head. If the derivation, instead, is from "a mountain's ridge", the surname would be of local origin, meaning someone who lived in the mountains. In the Middle Ages the pattern serving as a basis for fixed Italian surnames was based on paternity, the name of the father being the reference for identification, but before the advent of a structured system of surnames, a man was most conveniently identified by his place of abode or by a nickname.

The surname Crincoli is quite rare and is generally limited to the regions of Lucania, Calabria and Sicily. Since there regions belonged to the "Magna Graecia", or "Great Greece", that is, to the area where Greek influence was most felt, the surname Crincoli could have also a Greek origin. In those regions, in fact, we still find many surnames and many words of the local dialects having a Greek derivation.

BLAZON OF ARMS:

per fess, first or, an eagle displayed sable, second gules.

Translation: Gules (red) denotes Military Fortitude and Magnanimity. Or, (gold) denotes elevation of mind.

CREST: Three ostrich plumes.

ORIGIN: ITALY