Where the Calise surname comes from
Scholars don’t agree on the origin of Calise, and there is no certain explanation. The theory most Italian reference works follow traces it to a medieval personal name, Calisius. There are two others, one that came from America and one handed down in a family. The PDF tells them all, each with its own weight. What is certain is the place: the surname has lived on Ischia for more than four hundred years.
Four centuries in Forio
The records of the Calises in Forio begin in the 1500s, with a debt for the town’s great tower. Then come a painter whose signature fooled historians and a silver lamp that cost an excommunication. Their stories are in the PDF.
Where the Calises live today
Calise is a surname from Campania: there are about 570 families in Italy, and more than nine out of ten live in the region. The center is Ischia. In Lacco Ameno almost one resident in nine is named Calise, and it is the town’s top surname. Small groups live in Lazio, Lombardy and Liguria. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The closest cousin is Calisi, with a final “i.” The two look very much alike, but it hasn’t been proven that they share the same origin.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Calise | Campania, Lazio, Lombardy |
| Calisi | Lazio, Apulia, Tuscany |
FAQ
What does the Calise surname mean?
The meaning is uncertain and the origin is debated. The most widely followed theory traces it to the medieval personal name Calisius.
Is Calise a surname from Ischia?
Yes. The surname has lived on Ischia for more than four hundred years: the oldest record dates to 1572, in Forio. In Lacco Ameno it is the town’s top surname.
Is Calise a Neapolitan surname?
It is a surname from Campania: more than nine out of ten Italian Calises live in the region, mostly on Ischia and in the Naples area.
Are Calise and Calisi the same surname?
They look very much alike, but it hasn’t been proven that they share the same origin. Until the 1800s the surname was written by whoever kept the register: if you’re looking for your ancestors, check the Calisi form too.
Are all Calises related?
Not necessarily. The surname has a debated origin and perhaps more than one founder. To trace your own family you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Calise surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility. Almost all Calise families never had a coat of arms.
Is there a Calise family coat of arms?
In the Calise-Piro chapel in Lacco Ameno there is a stone coat of arms, but it belonged to that branch of the family. There is no coat of arms for all the Calises.
