The Vorpsi are an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

native to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

and have their first records of a surname recorded in 1650 (Islam Vorpsi the first one to be recorded) by Ottoman registries in Tirana and the family's presence has been recorded since. A

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family in origin. Very well known, old and respected family from Tirana. Notable family members include,

Ornela Vorpsi Ornela Vorpsi (born 3 August 1968, Tirana), is an Albanian writer and photographer from the Vorpsi family in Tirana. Ornela studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan, and has been living and working in Paris since 1997. In 2012 she w ...

(3 August 1968,

), is an Albanian writer and photographer from the famous Vorpsi family in Tirana. Ornela studied at the

Academy of Fine Arts of Brera The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di ...

in Milan, and has been living and working in Paris since 1997. In 2012 she was named one of the 35 best writers of Europe in Best European Fiction by

Aleksander Hemon Aleksandar Hemon ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Xeмoн; born September 9, 1964) is a Bosnian-American author, essayist, critic, television writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels '' Nowhere Man'' (2002) and '' The Lazarus Pr ...

and

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith FRSL (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor ...

. Artiola Toska a famous Albanian singer today is also from this family.

Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French; born on 28 January 1936) is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He is a leading international literary figure and intellectual. He focused on poetry until the pu ...

has mentioned the family name in his literature. The family also have roads with their surname in Tirana. Rruga Vorpset named after the family specifically.

Origins and History

The Vorpsi family have been recorded in the villages of Tirana before it was established as a city in 1614 by

Ottoman Albania Albania under the Ottoman Empire refers to a period in Albanian history from the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century to the Albanian declaration of Independence and official secession from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The Ottomans first ent ...

n ruler

Sulejman Bargjini Sulejman Pasha Bargjini (also known in sq, Sylejman Pashë Mulleti, tr, Berkinzâde Süleyman Paşa) was an ethnic Albanian general, nobleman and Governor of the Ottoman Empire. He was originally from Bargjin, but he settled in the village of ...

. The Etymology of the surname is disputed but have a few theories. One being it comes from the Albanian word "Vorbull" which means whirlpool suggesting an origin in the pottery making business for the family, as the surname is said to have come from the word Vorb. Which would suggest its an

occupational surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

. Another theory is the surname descends from the word Vorbatine which is in reference to the Mountain of Vorbatines in

north Albania Northern Albania ( sq, Shqipëria Veriore) is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. This ethnographical territory is sometimes referred to as ''Ghegeria'' ( sq, Gegëria) which also includes parts of the Albanian-inhabited territories of ...

and that is where the family has its ancient roots from. Most likely however to be related to the occupational surname theory. The surname during 1650 must've turned into a P replacing the previous B. The family turned Muslim during the late 1500s-early 1600s during the

Islamization of Albania The Islamization of Albania occurred as a result of the Ottoman conquest of the region beginning in 1385.. "The Ottomans first invaded Albania in 1385. A second Ottoman force was sent to Albania 1394-96, occupying the country. Given both the Ott ...

in the Ottoman Empire. The family were involved in

Albanian blood feud In the traditional Albanian culture, (English: "blood-taking", i.e. "blood feud") or ("revenge") is the social obligation to kill an offender or a member of their family in order to salvage one's honor. This practice is generally seen as in line ...

s and this led to one family member moving to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and another to Shkodra. Due to the family taking part in Kanun another theory of origin of the family is from

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...

but is not proven as of now. In the 1800s there was also an migration to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

from a singular member of the family. In 1912 Ramazan Vorpsi killed 12 Serbian soldiers during the

Balkan wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

when Albania was being invaded by Serbia. He was ambushed and killed by Serbs in Lezhe. He was fighting for the Albanian state to be

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and created.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorpsi family Albanian noble families