It was not uncommon for immigrants from Italy to be called names that differed from their birth names. For example, many individuals named Vincenzo were often called “Jimmy” or “James”. Have you ever wondered why?
There are several explanations to this but the most widely believed one is that the common nickname for Vincenzo is “Cenz”. When an Italian pronounces “Cenz” it sounds quite like “James” in English. The English pronunciation of Vincenzo is much different from the English pronunciation. The “c” in the Italian version sounds like “ch” as in “church” whereas the “c” in the English version sounds like “c” as in “cent”. You can hear the pronunciations HERE.
Did any of your relatives have an Italian named with a different American nickname? Let us know in the comments!
Sources:
Annuziatta==Nancy
Rosario==Russell
Giacomo==Jack
Francesco=Frank
Vincenza==Vivian
Bartolmeo==Bart
Rosaria==Sadina==Sadie
My great grandfather was Vincenzo Torriani from Lazio. They called him Big Jim in the US. I’m sure his death certificate says James. Thanks for this.
My Father was Vincent, and everyone always called him Jimmy. Some people thought his legal name was James.
I always wondered why.
Thanks for the post.