Are Lewis and Peter Capaldi related? And also, what's with all the Italian surnames in Scotland?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

Two completely trivial questions. I just saw the video for Lewis Capaldi's song and Peter Capaldi is in it, so I wondered if they were family and that's why.

Also there are a lot of famous Scots with Italian surnames but completely Scottish backgrounds (as far as I can tell). Was there a huge influx a few generations back or just a few Italian families that were very artsy and so Italian surnames are disproportionally represented among famous Scots. I can think of a load off the top of my head, Nardini, Conti (x2), Iannucci, Nutini, and I'm not even that good with names or knowing about famous people.

He is a second cousin to Peter. Lots of immigration by Italians all over the UK in the early part of the C20th. Many settled in Wales too.

Peter is his uncle. Lots of Italians came to Scotland in the 1890s due to famine in Italy. The 1st World War saw an influx, too. Many of the best chip shops and ice cream parlours in Scotland have been owned by Italian families since.

I live in the a large town in the east and we used to have a great Italian cafe/ice cream parlour, which sadly shut down. I was recently in a tiny Italian cafe in a suburb of Glasgow and the woman who owned the cafe asked where I was from. Turned out she was a cousin of the owner of the cafe in my town. She said most of these families have connections.

Also many settled in the North West. Look up the Andorra Star which was torpedoed in WW2 taking hundreds of interned Italian men to Canada.

DH's family are Scots-Italian, although they came over after the war. Some POW stayed after the war too.

There was a big number of Italians who emigrated to Scotland, especially from Lucca and Frosinone. They usually came to work in the cafes. I think Glasgow was popular because it was more Catholic.

Not his unlce. Second cousin. I went out with another Capaldi (Filippo!) when I was at school. Lots of Capaldis in the West of Scotland , South Wales, and in Bedford, amongst other places.

In Scotland, there is indeed a tradition of fish and chip shops and ice cream (Bill Forsyth's film Comfort and Joy is about the ice cream wars). Also the case in Wale. In Bedford, they came and worked in the brickworks.

Daniela Nardini and Nicola Benedetti are other examples as is that other Scottish easy listening guy whose name I have forgotten! Sharleen Spiteri, lead singer of Texas, also Glaswegian.

Oh, Paolo Nutini! You mentioned him!!

Italian immigrants built our railways then settled at the ends of the line in the victorian era (so Wales and Scotland)

But not just the arts, btw. You have the Calzaghes in Wales, for example (Dad actually another Italian Bedfordian iirc)

So are there any famous Welsh people with Italian surnames? I can't think of any at the moment.

During WW2 my MIL’s teacher in Fife ran away with a one legged Italian POW.

Her mother’s reply was “well they’ll no run very far”.

During WW2 my MIL’s teacher in Fife ran away with a one legged Italian POW.

Her mother’s reply was “well they’ll no run very far”.

Crossed with Piggy, I have heard of Joe Calzaghe. My DS is into boxing so watched that film he made, Mr Calzaghe.

I don't know of so many famous Welsh Italians in compariosn to the famous Scots Italians but there are certainly plenty of them in the population.

For your edification OP!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Italians

When I went to school you were either from Irish or Italian descent.

There’s only one Capaldi in Scotland in the 1881 census - a musician - but a few families with that surname (and variants) have arrived by 1891.

My grandparents are all Italian, and my parents were first generation Scottish. My maiden name is Italian, obviously.

My grandparents came over with their parents in the thirties and forties . They came over very poor and opened chip shops, and cafes, and were abused heavily, people called them " dirty Iti's and shouted it at them in the street. My grand fathers were also assaulted due to the fact they were immigrants.

When they all passed they would have been considered very affluent and were highly respected, welcomed and accepted within their communities.

Now I look at immigrants today and how we treat them, resent them, and I realise, the Nationalities May have changed,,but the intolerance has not.

Thanks Piggy, loads of names that I recognise on that list, including quite a few who don't have Italian surnames so I wouldn't have guessed.

My ex is of Scottish/Italian descent - his grandfather came over from Italy in the early 1900s and settled in Glasgow. He anglicised his name so only his direct descendents carry the surname (plus me as I kept it when I divorced, as I wanted to have the same name as DC). I think there are fewer than ten of us - very select

Catherine Zeta Jones - middle name is Italian

Verdi's restaurant in Mumbles and Sidoli's Ice Cream are very well known in S Wales

My family are Scottish Italian. Great grandad arrived in the 1930s. There are a lot of 3rd and 4th genearation Paola s and Matteos.

We grew up with very lovely food. As previous posters have said there are a lot of chip shops or ice cream parlours that were run by Scottish Italian families. Iron Bru Ice cream is one of the many joys.

The fish and chip shop in Cumbernauld that's mentioned in Gregory's Girl is called Capaldi's.
Sharleen Spiteri is a Glaswegian, as is one of my workmates who affirms the large Italian-descended population in Glasgow.

It is indeed. It was owned by my previously mentioned ex boyfriend's family.

And Shareleen Spiteri to was my hairdresser!

Lots of Italians in midlands as well as a result of bring ww2 prisoners if war. Then when war finished they got work in the factories and as they were from poor villages in southern Italy they brought relatives and friends over.

My very lovely grandfather in law could speak a little English from 5 years work in a Leics factory and in his 90s spoke a few English words with a strong leics accent.