Jewish Genealogy in Italy

 
Livorno (Leghorn)

The history of the Jewish community of  Livorno begins with the history of the town itself. In 1577 the first stone was laid  for the construction of the city and port of Livorno. To populate the new town the Grand Duke Ferdinando I issued between 1591 and 1593 various edicts known as the "Livornine". These proclamations provided to new immigrants for tax exemption, some immunities, complete religious freedom. Jewish, Turkish and Moorish merchants where expressly invited to establish in town. Jews could own houses, open shops in all parts of the city, study at the university and did not have to wear the Jewish badge.

Thanks these provisions and due to the  central position of Livorno in the Mediterranean Sea, Jews flocked in the port and Jewish population increased and reached one eight of the entire population of the town.

Number of the Jews of Livorno:

Year Jews in Livorno 1600 130 1642 1.100 1700 3.000 1738 3.500 1809 5.340 1880 4.000 1938 2.500

Most immigrants were Marranos and Levantines, so Spanish became the official language of the Jewish community of Livorno. Jews who came to Livorno kept contacts with the places of origin: this increased cultural and commercial relations throughout the Mediterranean area with trade networks that lasted for centuries. In 1765, more than one-third of the 150 largest commercial houses in Livorno were owned by Jews. For three hundred years Livorno, "the city without a ghetto",  was a point of reference for the Diaspora. After Napoleonic dominion the port of Livorno declined in importance and begun the decreased of the Jewish population.
		S.A.Hart, Festa della Legge (Simchat Torà) in the Synagogue of Livorno, 1850

Record Repositories:

- Jewish Cemeteries. Please contact for information.

-  State Archive of Livorno
Address: via Fiume 40 - 57123 - Livorno, tel: +39/0586897776 - 0586880028, fax: 0586896782 
E-Mail: asli@archivi.beniculturali.it
State Archive of Livorno Webpage

- Jewish Community of Livorno
Address: Piazza Benamozegh 1, cap. 57123  - Livorno, tel. +39/058696290

- Livorno Town Archive
Address: Via del Toro, 8, 57100 - Livorno, tel. +39/058680214, 

Resources from the 17th to the 19th  century:
List of records that can be found for the Jews of Livorno:

    
Project of a complete census of the Jews of Livorno of the 19th century

Bibliography:
- Annie Sacerdoti, Guida al'Italia Ebraica, Marietti, Genova: 1986, English transl.  by Richard F. De Lossa, Guide to Jewish Italy, Israelowitz Publishing, Brooklyn NY: 1989. 
- Dora Liscia Bemporad and Anna Marcela Tedeschi Falco, Tuscany Jewish Itineraries: Place, History and Art. Marsilio 1997.
- Alfredo Sabato Toaff, Cenni storici sulla comunita ebraica e sulla sinagoga di Livorno, La Rassegna Mensile D'Israel, Roma 1955.
- L. Levy, La communauté juive de Livoume. Le dernier des Livoumais. Essai, Paris, Editions L'Harmattan 1996.
- Nardo Bonomi, Les Juifs de Livourne : sources d'archives, "Etsi. Revue de Généalogie et d'Histoire Séfarades", 4/2001 (13).
- Umberto Fortis, Jews and synagogues: Venice, Florence, Rome, Leghorn; a practical guide, Edizioni Storti, Venezia 1973.
- Alan Charles Harris, La demografia del Ghetto in Italia, "Rassegna mensile d'Israel", 1967.

Surnames of the Jews of Livorno:
Surnames found in documents of the 17th-19th centuries:
Abbina, Abbini, Abeniacar, Abigdor, Abnai, Abnaim, Abocagia, Abocaja, Abrabanel, Abudarham, Acleles, Acris, Adeles, Africano, Aggi, Aghiar, Aghib, Agib, Agliano, Alatri, Alfandrin, Alfansin, Alfarin, Alhaique, Alimentano, Allatini, Almeida, Alphandari, Alvares, Amar, Amati, Ambron, Anau, Ancona, Angioli, Annaj, Annau, Anticoli, Anticolo, Anversa, Aquila, Arbib, Archivolti, Arias, Arobas, Arrias, Arus, Ascarelli, Aschenazi, Ascoli, Assus, Attias, Avenai, Azaria, Azarol, Azeria, Azria, Azulai
Baer Nunes, Balchin, Balenili, Baquis, Baraffael, Barel, Barnabaj, Barocais, Barocas, Barrocas, Barroccio, Baruch, Baruchi, Baruh, Basevi, Basracci, Bassan, Bassano, Battiero, Bedarida, Belforte, Beliman, Bembaron, Benadi, Benadì, Benaim, Benaman, Benamusich, Benaqui, Benedetti, Benedetto, Benevento, Benquique, Bensimon, Bentaus, Bentibi, Berolschermer, Berucchel, Beruchel, Betts, Bianchini, Bibas, Bidussa, Bidusse, Bises, Bismot, Biton, Blanes, Bocara, Bocarra, Boccara, Bolaffi, Bolafio, Bonajuti, Bonaventura, Bondi, Bondì, Bonfil, Bono, Borghi, Bueno, Busnach
Cabib, Caivani, Cajò, Calderon, Callichi, Calò, Calvo, Calvo Silva, Cameo, Camerini, Camerino, Camis Fonseca, Cammeo, Campagnano, Campagniano, Campos, Cansino, Cansino Hachichi, Canterini, Capila, Cappona, Capua, Caqui, Carcassone, Cardoso, Cardoso Laines, Carmi, Carmy, Caro, Carpi, Caruba, Carvaglio, Carvalho, Carvallo, Casares, Cases, Cassan, Cassato, Cassuto, Castel Franco, Castelfranco, Castelli, Castello, Castelnuovo, Castri, Castro, Cava, Cave, Cerbi, Cesana, Cesasna, Chaitici, Chaltiel, Chaves, Chetorza, Chiara, Chimbue, Chimici, Ciaves, Citone, Clava, Coallo, Coché, Coen, Coen Gialli, Coen Solal, Collavecchi, Collavecchia, Colombo, Colonna, Consigli, Contarin, Corcos, Cori, Coronel, Coronello, Costa, Cremisi, Cremisini, Crespi, Crespin, Croccio, Croccolo, Curiat, Cuscussù, Cusi
D'Angioli, Daran, Darmon, De Castro, De Cave, De Cori, De Ferro, De La Fuente, De Medina, de Nizza, De Noia, De Pas, De Paz, De Porto, de Salonica, De Segni, de Siena, De Tivoli, De Veroli, Decori, Defaro, Del Mar, Del Mare, Del Monte, Del Moro, Del Poerto, Del Port, Del Porto, Del Valle De Paz, Del Vecchio, Delgado, Della Bella, Della Man, Della Ricca, Della Riccia, Della Ripa, Della Rocca, Della Torre, Dellas, Dello Rocca, Dello Strogolo, Dello Strologo, Di Capua, Di Castro, Di Limentana, Dias, Dias Cordo, Diascorio, Diaz Corcio, Dina, Disegni, Diveroli, Donati, Durante
Efrati, Elhaique, Eliau De Pas, Emanuel, Eminente, Enriques, Enriquez, Epistain, Ergas, Erira, Errera, Esdraffa, Esquenas, Esquenasi, Faittussi, Faldini, Fano, Farchi, Farfara, Fargion, Farro, Fattucci, Fatuccio, Fernandes, Fernando, Fernandos Diaz, Ferrel, Ferrera, Ferro, Fianco, Fiano, Finto, Finze, Finzi, fiondi, Fiorentino, Fis, Fiz, Flach, Flah, Fornaga, Fortunato, Franchetti, Francia, Franco, Frascati, Frias, Frlas, Frnco, Frosolone, Frusolone, Funaro, Furtado
Gabai, Gabbai, Gabbai, Gabbaj, Gabisone, Galico, Galina, Galli, Gallichi, Gallico, Gallo, Garbi, Garsin, Garzia, Garzin, Gedella, Genazzani, Genazzano, Gennazzani, Gerbi, Ghediglia, Ghevara, Gheziman, Ghidiglia, Giuili, Gojoso, Gomes, Graziani, Guetta, Gutierres Pegna, Guttieres, Guttieres Pegna, Guttierres Pegna, Habibi, Haim Levi, Haiò, Haique, Hajo, Hajò, Halfon, Hamar, Hanuna, Hanur, Hariri, Hasdà, Hassan, Herrera, Horif, Iabon, Iacchia, Iaique, Ialfin, Inconfo, Ioab, Irgevena, Israel, Isurun, Jalfon, Joseph, Kabib, Kais, Krokart
Labello, Laide Tedesco, Laines, Lampronti, Lardella, Larena, Lares, Lascar, Latad, Lattad, Lattes, Lenghi, Leone, Leonel, Leoni, Leucci, Levi, Levi Losada, Levi Mortara, Levi Mortera, Levi Sachi, Levi Sciama, Levi Soncin, Levi Sonsin, Levi Valle, Liboli, Limentana, Limentani, Limentano, Lisciach, Livoli, Loisada, Lombroso, Lopes, Lopes Miranda, Lopes Nunes, Lopes Perea, Lopes Perera, Lopes Pereyra, Lopes Siera, Lopes Sierra, Lopez, Loria, Lumbroso, Lunel, Lusena, Luzena, Luzzatti
Macado, Machado, Maharech, Mamias, Mammo, Man, Manache, Marace, Marache, Mare, Marello, Mari, Marini, Marrace, Marzocco, Massa, Massan, Massiah, Massias, Mayer, Medina, Medinas, Meir, Meldola, Melli, Mello, Melo, Membreque, Menasse Nissim, Mencada, Meriam Enriquez, Mesghiss, Mesguiz, Mesquiz, Michol, Miele, Mieli, Millo, Millul, Milul, Miranda, Mirandola, Miras, Mires, Misul, Misur, MlluI, Mocada, Modena, Modigliani, Modona, Moisé, Molho, Momarin, Montalcini, Montalcino, Monte, Montecorboli, Montefiore, Montel, Montesinas, Monton, Morabia, Morais, Moravia, Morene, Moreno, Moreno dell'Aia, Moresco, Moro, Moron, Morpurgo, Mortera, Moscato, Nacman, Nagni, Nahum, Nakun, Namias, Napolitano, Nissim, Noè, Noia, Norza, Nunes
Olivera, Oraziani, Orbino, Orefice, Ori, Orvieto, Ottolenghi, Pace, Pacifico, Padoa, Padova, Paggi, Paisman, Palagi, Pansieri, Panzieri, Papero, Pardo, Pardo Roques, Pariente, Pas, Pasilio, Passigli, Paz, Pegna, Penso, Penzo, Peppi, Perazzan, Pereira De Leon, Perera, Pereyra, Pereyra De Leon, Perres, Perugia, Perulselmer, Pesare, Pesaro, Pesero, Piano, Piattelli, Piazza, Picciotto, Pichoto, Pignero, Pincarle, Pinchas, Pinto, Pinzi, Piocaccia, Pipemo, Piperno, Pisa, Pisana, Pitigliano, Plateno, Poerto, Pontecorbo, Pontecorboli, Port, Porta, Porto, Portugues, Prato, Preocaccia, Prichner, Proaccio, Procaccia, Procaccio, Provenzale, Rabà, Rabbeno, Rabella, Rabello, Raboch, Racachz, Racah, Ramar, Rapposo, Ravà, Recanati, Reggio, Ribero, Riccia, Rieti, Rignano, Rimini, Ripa, Rocca, Rocco, Rodriquez, Rokas, Rosas, Rosseili, Rosselli, Rossi, Rubino
Sabatello, Sabato, Sacchi, Sacelli, Sacerdote, Sacuto, Sadique, Sahadia Veletro, Sahadun, Salam, Salama, Salazar, Salema, Salfati, Salmon, Salmon Coen, Salon, Salor, Samuel Veletro, Sanabia, Sancò, Sanguinetti, Santo, Saqui, Sarabia, Sarfati, Scialtiel, Sciama, Sciaman Levi, Scuttiel, Sdraffa, Sebach, Sedicario, Segni, Segré, Semach, Semaqui, Sennino, Serena, Sereno, Seror, Serusi, Servi, Setrì, Sferra, Sfez, Sforno, Shadun, Sienna, Siera, Sierra, Silvera, Simamà, Simons, Sion, Sir, Sitai, Sitbon, Sitri, Sitrì, Slama, Sogno, Soiba, Solanas, Solema, Sollal, Sonna, Sonnino, Sonsino Levi, Soria, Sornaga, Soschino, Sosquino, Spinosa, Spizzichino, Sportes, Sporti, Squenasi, Strogolo, Strologo, Suares, Suarez, Suarte, Sulam, Sulema, Suliman, Sultana, Supino
Tabet, Tabit, Taborre, Tagiuri, Tagliacozzi, Taurel, Tedeschi, Tedesco, Teglia, Terni, Terracina, Terracini, Terracino, Tilche, Tilque, Tivoli, Toaff, Tolosa, Tonas Vega, Torre, Toscano, Treves, Trionfo, Tubi, Tubiana
Uac, Ulivetti, Urbino, Usiglio, Usilli, Uzielli, Vaez, Vais, Valensi, Valensin, Valensin Levi, Valensin Tubi, Valensin Tubì, Valensln, Valle De Paz, Varios, Velletri, Veneziano, Ventura, Venziano, Veroli, Villareale, Visinho, Vita, Vitali, Viterbo, Vivante, Volterra
Wolff, Wulff, Wulffen, Zabban, Zarad, Zarfati, Zarphati, Zitum, Zivi,