The Cariddi (or Caridi) family surname is believed to have its roots deep into antiquity.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

refers to the Caridi family in his 'Commentaries' () (1). However the name, which in Greek is Karideus/Karidis, existed in ancient times because its root can be traced back to the Myceneans (at least 1000 BC) like so: Ka-Ri-Se-U (Keriseus-Karideus) (2) More recent evidence regarding the Caridi family is provided by the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

genealogist Mugnos (1). He remarks that there were 'some' men (i.e. not just one) mentioned by Julius Caesar, who had this surname, i.e. they already were an established family with ancestors and descendants. According to Mugnos, they were 'noteworthy' (in Italian 'chiari'), and this suggests that they were high officials and of considerable standing in order to be important enough to be mentioned by Julius Caesar. The family as a whole was most likely a member of the Ancient Roman nobility, who had their sons sent to the army to become military leaders, as it was the custom at the time. After the fall of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, these families survived during the

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

(-1200AD) perhaps under Papal rule in Rome. It is possible that branches of this family lived in

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

territories.

Italian branch

From these middle age families, originated the more modern families of the Roman nobility (1200-1600) (3, p. 131). From

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, a branch of the Caridi family moved to the city of

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

during the reign of King Martino, c1392 (4). An Antonio Cariddi was gentiluomo maggiore (major gentleman) in the court of the Queen Marianna, (4). The Italian genealogist Scorza (5) confirms that the family was originally Roman and that they subsequently moved to Messina. The fact that members of the family were officials in the royal court in 1390s, i.e. immediately after they first moved to Messina, suggests that this Roman family belonged to the Italian nobility from earlier years. Also the great number of the Caridi members who went to become high officials in royal and civil courts during the years, indicates that the family as a whole had strong roots in the nobility for many centuries in the times before the move to Messina. Another Italian genealogist Mango (6) highlights: "Caridi is a noble family (famiglia nobile), a family of judges, doctors and others from Messina, Sicily". Galuppi (7) confirms that the family flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries. From the ordinary nobility, the whole family was upgraded to the civilian senate. A Mario Caridi (born ) was registered in the nobility books of 1587–1610. He had the title of 'Misser' i.e. a graduate doctor (7). He was married to Maria Marullo, descendant of an important nobility family from Messina. Galuppi also mentions a Giovan Pietro Cariddi who was one of the founders of the Ordine dei Cavalieri della Stella. This was a military order which started in Messina in 1595 and became extinct in 1687. It consisted of 100 'nobilissimi cavalieri' (most nobile knights) who, to join, had to show a record of an unbroken family lineage of belonging to the nobility for at least 200 years. This places the date of origin of the Messina branch to about 1390.

Greek branch

In later years, a Gianni Cariddi was mentioned as being a noble in Malvasia (

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

) in 1552 and his sons were nobles after him. Then, two brothers, Nicolo and Leo, Counts Caridi moved to

Cephallonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...

, in the Ionian Islands (8). During 1590 were given further nobility titles, according to the Livre d'or De la Noblesse Ionienne (9). In Cephallonia the original head of the family was a marquis (10), a title given to him by the Venetian government. A Gianni Caridi () had the nobility title 'Gabellator' given to him and his branch by the Doge of Venice 1552 (9). A Pantazi Caridi (1710–1781) became Regent of the Ionian Islands. From Cephallonia, a branch moved to Lefkada,

and another to

Larnaca Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of 144 ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

during the early 18th century. The head of this branch was Giovanni Caridi (born in Cephallonia), with his two sons Christodulos (born ) and Pietro () who was a medical doctor (11). Christodulos had the nobility title 'Kaminaris' given to him while briefly living in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. One of Christodulos's sons, Constadinos, became Bishop Athanasios of Nikomidea and subsequently a holy martyr of the

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

Church. Pietro's son, Adronicos, was a Cypriot dragoman of the Imperial Majesty the Queen of Hungary. There are several descending lines of the Cyprus branch still living on the island including a line descending from Maria Caridi (-1870). She was married to

Demetrios Pieridis Demetrios Pierides ( el, Δημήτρης Πιερίδης; 1811–1895) was a Greek Cypriot banker, vice consul of Great Britain and collector of ancient Cypriot artefacts. He was the son of Pierakis Demetriou Corella (1790–1821) and Maria Cari ...

, of the current

Pieridis Museum Pieridis Museum is a museum in Athens, Greece. Its collection includes items dating back almost nine thousand years, from the neolithic period to the Middle Ages. They are a part of the archaeological collection of the Pierides Museum in Larnaca, ...

and Cultural Foundation in Cyprus (11). Notable contemporary Caridis: * Carmine Caridi - Actor *

Joseph Caridi Current members Ray Argentina Ray Argentina is a soldier in the Brooklyn faction. His younger brother Peter Argentina is an associate in the family. In 1992, Argentina along with Louis Daidone, Alan Taglianetti and Robert Molinelli were found gui ...

- Mobster * Linda Caridi - Actress * Olivia Caridi - News Anchor, The Bachelor contestant *

Tony Caridi Tony Caridi (born September 8, 1962) is a children's book author and an American sportscaster for West Virginia University's Mountaineer Sports Network and West Virginia Radio Corporation's Metronews Radio Network. Early life Caridi was bo ...

- Sportscaster *

Tony J. Caridi Anthony Joseph Caridi (born 1964) is an American author, and the former executive director of Marketing and Public Relations at The Alamo National Historic Site in San Antonio, Texas. He has also been a television spokesman and the host of t ...

- Author/Journalist *

Gaetano Caridi Gaetano Caridi (born 22 July 1980) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Caridi was born in Reggio Calabria. He began his career playing for minor Tuscan club Pontedera. He made his debut with the th ...

- Italian Footballer From at least the early 13th century the family had the same

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

: A golden walnut tree (Karidis in Greek means walnut) in red background, with a griffin on either side (counter rampant).

References

{{more citations needed, date=March 2008 1. Filadelfo Mugnos. Teatro genealogico delle famigle nobili, titolate, feudatarie e antiche del fedelissimo regno di Sicilia. Vol 3, Messina 1670 (Palermo 1647).
2. Dictionary of Greek Personal Names, British Academy, Volume 1.
3. V Palizzolo. Il blazone di Sicilia. Palermo 1871.
4. G.B. di Crollalanza. Dizionario storico-blazonico delle famigle nobili e notabili Italiane, estinte e fiorenti. Vol 1, Pisa 1886.
5. A.M.G. Scorza. Enciclopedia Araldica Italiana.
6. Antonino Mango di Casalgerardo. Il Nobiliario di Sicilia. Palermo MCMXII (1912).
7. Giuseppe Galuppi. Il Nobiliario della citta di Messina. Napoli, 1878, p. 209.
8. Ciccelli. Kefalliniaca symmicta. Athens, p. 266.
9. Livre d'or de la Noblesse Ionienne B E.Rizo Rangabe Volume ii Cephalonie, Athens 1926, pp. 76–77 10. Libro dei Consigli, Archivio di Cephallonie.
11. Merikai Paleai Oikogeneiai tis Kyprou (Some Old Families of Cyprus). A. Koudounaris, Nicosia 1972.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20080917040855/http://www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/bibliotecacentrale/mango/cariddi.htm Surnames