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There is documentary evidence to show that the
hereditary names were employed among the patricians of
the Republic of Venice in the tenth and eleventh
century. As among the Romans, where a gens-name, derived
from the founder of the family tree was added to the
praenomen, or first name applied to an early ancestor.
This name was itself derived from a number of very
diverse sources. The italian surname Pisani is of
toponymic origin. Toponymic names are those surnames
which derive their origin from a particular place name
near which the original bearer resided or held land.
 In
this instance, the surname Pisani is derived from the
place-name Pisa and therefore signifies "descendant of
or son of one from Pisa". Pisa is of course a city in
Tuscany, Italy famous for its 'Leaning
Tower', whos chief architect was
Bonnano Pisano.
It was one of twelve cities in the ancient Etruscan
confederation and conquered Sardinia and Corsica in
1052. It is also the birth place of Galileo. The surname
Pisani may also be of patronymic origin. Patronymic
surnames are those which derive their origin from the
personal name of the father of the initial bearer. In
this instance, the surname Pisani is derived from the
personal name Pisano.
Pisa was probably founded by Greek colonists, but
before it came under Roman control it was in the hands
of the Etruscans (3rd and 4th centuries BC), who it
seems, gave it its name - although the placename is of
obscure meaning. The earliest record of the name PISANI
dates to 905, when the PISANI family of Pisa, who were
Counts, moved to Venice. Other branches of the family
are recorded in Milan, Pavia, Bologna, Sicily and
Naples. As happened with most Italian surnames, there
are numerous variations of the name due to major changes
in the language and local spellings. Variations include
Pisa, Pisari, Pisano, Pisani, Pisanello and others. One
of the most influential members of the Pisa branch of
the family, was Nicola PISANO, who was born in 1200. He
was a famous marble sculptor and one of his outstanding
works is the Baptistery in Pisa. His son Giovanni,
sculptor and architect, worked with his father on the
pulpit of the Siena Cathedral. Another notable bearer of
the surname Pisani was one Antonio Pisano, known in
history as Pisanello. He was born circa 1830 in San
Visilio near Verona, and he was a renowned painter and
medalist. Of his two frescoes, only two survive - St.
George mounting his horse and The Miraculous Stag
appearing to St. Eustace. His medals considerd the first
struck in the IV century represent his many patrons as
well as John Palaeologus, emperor of the Byzantium. The
arms were granted to the Pisani family of Gaude, Sicily.
Pisano/i in Malta: The PISANOs must have come to
Malta at least in the mid-1500s. One of the earliest
marriages recorded is that of Salvatore PISANO who
married Isabella de Bordino on the 10 October 1556 at
Zebbug, Malta closely followed by that of Giovanni
PISANO to Angela Sarraba also at Zebbug on the 24 June
1559. A famous Maltese artist,
Lazzaro PISANI,
was born at Zebbug on the 15 December 1854. His
masterpiece is in the Nadur (Gozo) Basilica and consists
of 240 paintings which took twelve years to complete.
But! Is the name Pisani
solely of Italian origin? Could it be that it is a
romanticised version of an originally Maltese name?
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