Messi's Ancestors' Name Changed Upon Arrival at Santos Port, Brazil
New research by Italian historian Fiorenzo Santini reveals that Lionel Messi's ancestors first arrived in Brazil through the Port of Santos in late 19th century. The family's surname was altered upon their arrival in Brazilian territory. Messi's great-great-grandfather, Raniero Coccettini, originally from San Severino Marche, Italy, traveled with his wife Rosa Ricchezza and children Giulia and Francesco. They arrived at the Port of Santos on September 20, 1899, aboard the ship Washington, according to records from the Museum of Immigration of the State of São Paulo. Upon their arrival in the coastal region of São Paulo, Raniero Coccettini's name was officially recorded as Ramiero Concenttini in Brazil. Historian Santini explains that such changes were common during the immigration process, often due to pronunciation differences and how civil registrars interpreted names without proper documentation. The family later moved to Rincão, in the interior of São Paulo, where Raniero worked as a farmer. Two more children were born in Ribeirão Preto: Ermínia in 1900 and Arderigo in 1904. It was in Arderigo's registration that the family's surname underwent a second change, becoming Federico Cuccittini. This surname, Cuccittini, was passed down through generations, eventually reaching Lionel Messi's mother, Celia María Cuccittini. Approximately a year later, in September 1905, the family relocated from Brazil to the region of Rosario, Argentina, where Messi's grandfather, Antonio Cuccittini, and later his mother were born. Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini was born on June 24, 1987. Santini's research, spanning three years, involved documents from Italy, Brazil, and Argentina, with the Cuccittini surname sparking his initial curiosity about the football star's lineage. Beyond his family's historical connection, the city of Santos also holds significance in Messi's football career, having played against Santos F.C. twice with Barcelona, winning both matches, including the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final.
This historical account of surname alteration during immigration highlights the complex interplay between individual identity and state record-keeping processes. The documented changes from Coccettini to Concenttini and then to Cuccittini illustrate how bureaucratic systems, particularly in periods of mass migration, can inadvertently reshape familial heritage through phonetic interpretation and registration practices. Such transformations underscore the challenges faced by immigrants in maintaining their original cultural markers while integrating into new societies. The narrative also implicitly raises questions about the standardization of identity in an era of increasing global mobility and the potential for digital systems to either preserve or further alter such records in the future.
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