1905 New York Census for Francesco Ferruccio (spelled Ferrutcha)
Immigrating to a new country isn’t easy—just ask the Italian families who crossed the Atlantic in search of opportunity only to have their names thrown into a linguistic blender. For families like the Brigandis and Ferruccios, arriving in the United States meant not just adapting to a new culture but also to new versions of their own names.
My sisters and I grew up hearing stories that our family name had been mysteriously changed upon arriving in America (cue the “mafia wink”). While that wasn’t exactly true, the Brigandi surname certainly came with its own colorful history. In Italian, “Brigandi” translates to “robber,” “ruffian,” or even “brigand”—quite the bold reputation for a family name. Unsurprisingly, this led to a bit of confusion at Ellis Island and in official records.
Their name was misspelled only a handful of times on official documents, though the variations range from logical to downright puzzling. Among the most creative? Breprandie—a spelling so off-course you can almost hear a harried census taker muttering, “Close enough.” More straightforward errors, like Brigand, made it look like the family was auditioning for a Wild West outlaw gang.
The Ferruccio family, on the other hand, did not have the same luck with consistency. Their surname morphed so many times that tracing their genealogy has been a puzzle worthy of a detective novel. Depending on who was taking the notes, Ferruccio became:
Of course, these names all lead back to the same proud Sicilian family.
First names weren’t immune to the renaming frenzy, either. While last names were often butchered accidentally, first names were deliberately altered to better fit into American culture. Italian immigrants understood that a name like “Guiseppe” might raise a few eyebrows in their new neighborhoods.
Whether it was a deliberate choice or a scribbled error, these changes are more than just quirks—they’re the story of our family finding its way in a new world. We honor them not just by the names they left behind, but by the resilience they showed in building a new legacy.
Research Disclaimer: This site is an active work in progress, and some facts may be unverified as new records are uncovered. I welcome your help in making our family history as accurate as possible! If you have corrections, documents, or photos to share, please Contact Me.
