The family name
Magrisso
Alternate spellings:
Latin Characters:
Magrese, Magresi, Masgrissi, Magreso, Magriso, Magrisso,
(Magriço in Soundex system)
Turkish Language: Magrýso
Hebrew Characters:
מאגריסו
Adapted from a write-up on the origins of Brazilian names:
Italian, Spanish or Portuguese or other Romance language
surname, typically with origins as a nick name, it comes from
the word “Thin” (Magro/a – Spanish/Italian/ Portuguese, Maigre –
French, the English cognate is “meager”), with a suffix added-isso/issi
(which indicates the plural affectionate or diminutive form),
Magro comes from the Latin macer, macrum, words by which slender
people were known, such as lanky or thin. Literally we could
translate this last name as "Skinny". Once someone had such a
nickname due to physical traits, the name was transmitted to
descendant as " So-and-so, son of Magrisso", the plural "form
Magrissi" appeared to indicate a family clan, for example, the
Family of Magrissos " in Italian is "Famiglia dei Magrissi", the
termination " i " indicates the plural form.
There appear to be numerous unrelated families with the name,
both Jewish and Gentile, all with roots in Spain,. Portugal or
Italy. If Jewish, it is clearly of Sephardi origin.
Grandma Elizabeth (Boulissou) came from Kirkkilise (now
Kirklareli), Turkey but the family fled to Edirne, Turkey (Adrianopolis
in Greek) during the Balkan Wars when Kirkkilise was taken over
by Bulgaria (returned to Turkey in 1922). The town was also
known as 40 churches (Saranta Ecclisiae). See the Wikipedia
entry at (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirklareli ) for more
information. Her mother Rebecca Levy was originally from Serbia.
There have been several famous Magrisos in Jewish history, the
most famous being Yitzhak (ben Moshe) Magriso who took over the
writing of Me’am Loez after Yakov Culi died in 1732. His
commentary on Pirke Avot, done as part of Meam Loez is still
considered by most scholars the best commentary ever done on Avot.
He lived in Constantinople (Istanbul), but his family appears to
have originally come from Edirne. And an Avraham Magriso who
died in 1687 (possibly his grandfather) was Dayyan (judge) of
the Rabbinical court. A Rabbi Haim Ezra Magriso was alive in
1717 when he donated funds for the publication of a book
written by Rabbi Haim Algazi, called Beney Hayai. Several Rabbis
named Magriso are recorded as living in Serbia during the 1800s.
