Libero

Recorded in many spelling forms including Liber, Librer, Libri, Libree, Librey, Libero, Liboras, Libreros, and others, this is a surname which is ultimately of Roman (Latin) origins. In its various forms it is recorded throughout Europe. It derives from the word 'liber' meaning free, and as such was originally a word used to indicate a free (born) person, at a time when the vast majority were little better than slaves. In addition it may also have been used baptismally by giving it to a child as an article of faith for the future. The difficulty with the many names of this group is that without being present at the time when the name was first used perhaps a thousand or more years ago, it is almost impossible to give a precise meaning. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from authentic surviving rolls and registers of the post medieval period include: Herreo Libroras, a witness at Olot, Gerona, Spain, on August 15th 1677, Sarah Libree, who married Robert Theobald at the church known as St. Benets, Pauls Wharf, in the city of London, on April 11th 1723, and Gerardo Libero, who married Maria Russo at San Severo, Foggia, Italy, on December 27th 1831.