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Meaning & History
Variant form of FERRANDO. Some sources state that aside from this particular derivation, (there where instances where) the name Ferrante could also be directly derived from the medieval French given name FERRAND (also found spelled as FERRANT), which would then essentially make Ferrante an italianization of a French name. The French name itself was a variant form of the given name FERNAND, which was a contraction of FERDINAND. Also compare the medieval Spanish given name FERRAN.This name was borne by several Italians throughout history, such as king Ferdinand I of Naples (known as Don Ferrante), the mercenary Ferrante Gonzaga (1507-1557) and the writer Ferrante Pallavicino (1615-1644).