Aquitaine

This once powerful province of France through Eleanor of Aquitaine created some of the most prominent Kings and Queens in Europe. From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Aquitaine family. The people of this region were originally known only by a single name, but it became necessary for them to take on a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. The Aquitaine surname evolved from a nickname; these usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Aquitaine came from a person who had the sight of an eagle.