The following is the introduction to my "Ieradi" family genealogy. Hope it helps. I'd love to know any further info. myself on the subject.
IERADI - Cortale (Calabria), Italy
An initial, limited search for the surname “Ieradi†has revealed that the name is of very restricted origin, evidently only from in and around (i.e. in the immediate area of) the tiny mountain village of Cortale, Italy (in the Province of Calabria.) In general, Italian surnames that begin with (i + vowel) are Calabrian; the “i†being a form of “jâ€, as is still evident even in those letters’ modern written representations.
Many have theorized that the origins of the name are Arabic/Persian (especially in its bastardized form without the “eâ€) do to the similarity in sound with many names and words from that region of the world, and even point to the fact that the region of Calabria was once under Islamic rule as part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to support this notion.
Additionally, I have even heard theories that the name might be Greek in origin, since there are apparently to this day still “Greek-speaking†villages somewhere in the mountains of Calabria, presumably the last vestiges of a period of Greek colonization from before the Roman Empire. Some Greco-Americans do have similar last names.
In its American bastardized form without the “e†(Iradi) in my family, the name has become spelled the same as the Spanish surname of the same spelling which, in fact, appears to actually be Basque (i.e. region of Bilbao and Vizcaya, Spain) in origin. E.g. there’s a delicious ewe’s milk semi-hard cheese from that region called both “Iraty†or “Ossau-Iraty.†The fact that a cheese bears this name (as well as its earliest appearance in Mormon records being an 18th century “De Iradi†from Vizcaya) clearly indicates this particular surname’s origins as a place name, at least in the Basque country. Incidentally, a certain internationally notorious Basque terrorist with the surname Iradi escaped the custody of French National authorities in January of 2003, causing massive firings among that country’s law enforcement ranks due to their incompetence.
A search of Ellis Island immigration records reveals the following variations of the name, which no doubt indicate completely different origins, and therefore different meanings: Iaradi, Ieradi and Irate (Calabria); Iradi and Irati (Hispanic, of Basque origin); Iaradi, Ieredi, Iradi (Hungaro-Slavic.)
My own thoughts on the name as it appears in Calabria, “Ieradi,†is that it’s a variant form of something else. The name Ierachi also exists there (Ierace and Ieraci being variants), which indicates an origin from the Calabrian village “Jerache,†and it can not be rule out at this point that “Ieradi†could possibly be a bastardized form of this surname. Furthermore, the name “Ierardi†also exists in the same locals as “Ieradi,†and I believe, in fact, that the latter is derived from the former (they are pronounced nearly identically in Italian.) This, in turn, is probably derived from Jerardi/Gerardi, possibly being a patronymic “son of Gerardo,†or a place name “from (the parish of St.) Gerardo†(although there seems to be no modern location bearing this name), and I tend to lean toward the patronymic interpretation “son of Gerardo.â€
Finally, in support of this patronymic interpretation, the surname “Ierardi†bears a linguistic similarity with the French surname “Girardin,†which is also a patronymic from the Germanic name “Gare-Waldan†contracted to “Garaldanâ€â€“ i.e. “Lance-Governor.†The change from the liquid-consonant “l†to the liquid-consonant “r†follows certain linguistic principles, as evidenced by the English word “warden†(also derived from “Waldenâ€), not to mention a trip to the local Chinese Restaurant....
Therefore, the independent appearance of both similar village names and surnames in diverse cultures and linguistic groups may most probably be in large part the result of the adoption of patronymics from prenames all with a common (probably Germanic / unlikely Arabic) origin.
A. GIOVANNI ANTONIO IERADI, b.c.1860? in Cortale (Calabria), Italy d.? in Buenos Aires?, Argentina. He m.c.1878 Paola (b.1859 d.1944) dau. of Salvatore Stilo. He was born in Cortale per his Italian grandchildren. He was a mason by profession, and met her at the “Festival of St. Leonardo.†He left for S. America (because of lack of work) with his oldest son Tomaso (b.1883) probably sometime before the child was 10, and “disappeared†leaving Tomaso orphaned in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Paola evidently “remarried†(although a marriage certificate has as yet to be produced) sometime before 1896 Gaetano Mazzoccha, a coachman and “major domo?†of the local Count in Borgia, Italy.
I was told by Eleanor Iradi that her father told her (and strangely none of his other 7 children) the following story: “Giovanni and Tomaso arrived in Brazil, where Giovanni (accidentally?) killed a man. He and Tomaso fled to Buenos Aires, but the dead man’s family killed Giovanni there.†My father, Eleanor’s brother, thinks that Eleanor created this account because her own father-in-law in NJ had been imprisoned for intentionally killing a man, and the story was invented to lessen the social shame of her and her husband within the NJ Iradi family setting. Unfortunately, all those in the know regarding the apparent death of Giovanni Antonio Ieradi are either dead, or keeping their mouths shut (e.g. the Argentine branch of the Iradi family “doesn’t know†either….)
B. ANTONIO “SALVATORE†SALVATORE IERADI, b.1888 in Borgia (Calabria), Italy d.1967 in E. Hanover, NJ. He m.c.1909 Rosa Acquavella (b.1892 d.1937). My paternal grandfather.