Campana

This interesting surname with variant spellings Campani (1643), Campanii (1644), Campanya (1645) and Campaniia (1670) derives from the Spanish word "campana", which means bell, hence the surname may be a metonymic occupational name for a bellringer or bellfounder or a topographical name for someone living "at the bell". A coat of arms was granted to a family called Campana in Austria which consist of a bear with an axe protruding from his head on a blue shield, (the bear signifies ferocity and a powerful defender against the enemy). A family of the name in Italy was also granted a coat of arms which contained a shield divided quarterly into blue and silver with three bells (two in chief and one in base). Bells appeared on coat of arms to signify the supposed power of church bells to disperse evil spirits in the air and to call upon guardian saints and angels. Ana Maria Campana married Pedro Caballos Briz on June 27th 1641 at Caminera, Zaragoza, while Pedro Campana married Eulalia Roig at Castelol de Fels, Barcelona on August 8th 1842. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Diego Garcia Campano, son of Matias and Maria Campano, which was dated christened on November 27th 1622, at Valladolid, during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.