The name Magro literally translates to the word “lean” in Latin, so it is commonly found in Latin-based languages and dialects such as Sicilian, and Italian, as well as Spanish, and Portuguese. It is not uncommon for Southern Italian and Sicilian families to have taken the name of their ancestral villages as their family surname. Nor is it uncommon for surnames to reflect family occupational traditions. Or, as what seems could be the case in our family, a prominent, familial, physical characteristic. So, if your last name is Magro…there’s a good chance are your ancestors were skinny, or at least lean.
A name is a good place to start when we’re talking about ancestors. People are known to take on all sorts of alternative names, nicknames, or monikers, so it’s beneficial for the sake of clarity to sort out who is who.
Traditionally, in Sicily a man’s first born son was named after the man’s father, that is, the boy’s paternal grandfather. The man’s first daughter would be named after his mother, the girl’s paternal grandmother. The second son was named after the man’s wife’s father, that is, the boys maternal grandfather. And, the second daughter would be named after the wife’s mother, the girl’s maternal grandmother.
There is a lot more to the naming convention, this is just an overview. There are more detailed customs, rules and traditions that are observed to varying degrees by different families. Many rules and traditions were brought to America by immigrants, but as Sicilians and Italians began to integrate into American society, marrying outside their ethnicity and creed, these traditions faded.
Back in the day…
When the second generation of American-born Magro children (Saverio and Crocifissa’s grandchildren) were running around wreaking havoc together, one of the kids had trouble saying “nonna” and “nonno”, he could only pronounce “nonno”, and referred to both grandparents as such.
It’s been gathered from stories told and written correspondences that Saverio was most often referred to as “Pa” rather than the traditional Italian language word “Nonno”, by his grown children and his grandchildren. With Crocifissa however, the mispronounced “Nonno” stuck, and was picked up by the grandchildren and future generations. Before the American-born grandchildren learned any of the language, some of us believed that “nonno” was the Italian word for grandmother, when in reality it was the Italian word for grandfather.
So, if you have ever heard a story that referenced “Nonno” and it didn’t quite make sense because you have learned some of the Italian language and you know that “Nonno” is grandfather and “Nonna” is grandmother, this is why. “Nonno” in our branch of the Magro family is unquestionably Crocifissa, grandmother and great-grandmother.
It should be noted that Crocifissa used at least one Americanized first name. Some documents show her name as Fiffi, others Anna…but again, in our family, she was “Nonno”. Her actual given name Crocifissa translates in Latin to crucifix.
Some thoughts on naming, in our branch of the Magro Family…
While it is clearly evident that none of the first generation of American born Magro men followed the traditional naming convention, we do have some redundancy in given names in our family. For example, Saverio and Crocifissa’s first born son in America was named August and it is known that Saverio’s father’s name was indeed Agostino. Their second American born son, Joseph was named after Giuseppe Salerno, Crocifissa’s father who immigrated to America with her. Their third son was named Frank. Frank was also the name of Saverio’s older brother, who immigrated to America some time before Saverio. Their fourth son’s name is Samuel (“Sam”), Sam is also a name that Saverio would go by, but it is unclear as to whether the younger Sam was named after Saverio. Saverio and Crocifissa had one daughter, their youngest child, Marion (“Mary”), named after Saverio’s mother Marianna (Vircha) Magro.
Joseph, or “Joe” as he was most often called, was named after Giuseppe Salerno. This follows tradition that the second son be named after his maternal grandfather. Joseph, or “Joe” has no middle name entered on his birth certificate, but he would occasionally mention that his middle name was Phillip, sometimes Sam. Phillip Salerno was one of Crocifissa’s two older brothers.
Joe named his first born son Joseph Phillip. The middle name Phillip could pay homage to Crocifissa’s brother Phillip Salerno, or to Joe’s only brother-in-law, Felix Phillip Stella, who went by Phil. Or, they may have just liked the name Phillip.
Joseph Phillip named his first son Joseph Phillip Jr, who named his first born son Joseph Phillip, III.
Six generations later, with an American variation, the name Giuseppe lives on.