# Why Galileo? Why not Galilei? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144 "2003-01-27T02:42:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/21 "2003-01-27T15:23:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JRDelirious \* > **May have something to do with the same pattern that leads us to remember a bunch of other _Italian_ historical figures as Dante, Michaelangelo, Leonardo and Rafael…** What about Donatello? 😉 (Hmm I really shouldn’t post this early in the morning…) ---
**Author:** ![rimfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rimfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rimfire)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/22 "2003-01-27T19:40:34Z")
My guess is that Galileo didn’t have what we’d call a last name, and that’s my understanding with Leonardo. Throughout history most people have had one given name, followed by a description that townspeople added. Go back several hundred years and take a boy whose only name is “Jim.” If his father’s name is “John,” the townspeople called him “Jim Johnson” (Short for “John’s son”) when there might be a question about which boy named “Jim” they were referring to. If Jim (like Leonardo) was born in Vinci, and moved to another town, people there would call him “Jim, John’s son from Vinci,” or “Jim DaVinci” for short. Finally Jim becomes a blacksmith, and since “Jim the smith, son of John from Vinci” really bogs down a conversation, they usually just call him “Jim Smith.” Jim has a son named Joe. Now people, assuming he will take over his father’s smithy, call him “Joe Smith” until he builds a mill and becomes known as “Joe Miller.” Then Joe’s son, Jack, becomes a sailor, but to honor his father still calls himself “Jack Miller.” His friends have no problem with that, so it “sticks” and eventually all his decendants follow his lead. And then there’s “the-singer-formerly-known-as-Prince,” proving that you can call yourself anything you want, but your name is mostly what other people call you. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/23 "2003-01-27T19:53:42Z")
Let’s not forget that even today many Icelanders (like Bjork Gudmundsdottir) still don’t have what we would consider “proper” surnames: [http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/ic/Iceland\_people\_summary.htm](http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/ic/Iceland_people_summary.htm) > [@](#): > > Most Icelandic surnames are based on patronymy, or the adoption of the father’s first given name. For example, Magnus and Anna, children of a man named Petur, would hold the surname Petursson and Petursdottir, respectively. Magnus’ children, in turn, would inherit the surname Magnusson, while Anna’s children would claim their father’s first given name as their surname. Women normally maintain their original surnames after marriage. **This system of surnames is required by law,** [!] except for the descendants of those who had acquired family names before 1913. Most Icelanders, while reserved by nature, rarely call each other by their surnames, and even phone directories are based on first names. Because of its small size and relative homogeneity, Iceland holds all the characteristics of a very close-knit society. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/24 "2003-01-27T19:54:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rimfire \* > **My guess is that Galileo didn’t have what we’d call a last name, and that’s my understanding with Leonardo. Throughout history most people have had one given name, followed by a description that townspeople added.** If you take the trouble to read the rest of the thread you’ll see that there’s no need to guess. I’ve already explained that Galileo did have a surname that he inherited from his father. No doubt you’re right about how surnames came into being, but that process had already been making plenty of progress in many European countries by the middle of the C16[sup]th[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/25 "2003-01-27T20:53:24Z")
How is “Galilei” pronounced, anyway? “Gal-li-lay-yee?” “Gal-li-lay?” “Gal-li-leh-yih-ee-ohfuckit?” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/26 "2003-01-27T21:31:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*How is “Galilei” pronounced, anyway? > > “Gal-li-lay-yee?” > > “Gal-li-lay?” > > “Gal-li-leh-yih-ee-ohfuckit?” \*\* I’ve always heard it pronounced _Gal-li-lee_ And FWIW I’ve never heard Tycho Brahe referred to as just “Tycho.” In all my classes we’ve always either called him Tycho Brahe or just Brahe. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/27 "2003-01-27T22:15:37Z")
There are several questions that can be asked, and partially answered here: 1. Why was he called Galileo Galilei ? As some have surmised, both names derive from his father. The surname is Galilei, but it was apparently Tuscan custom of the time to give the first-born male a forename derived from it as well (see either de Santillana or Sobel). de Santillana gives the parallel examples of Braccio Bracci and Pazzino de’ Pazzi. Galileo’s younger surviving brother was called Michelangelo Galilei. Though, since he called _his son_ Vincenzio, presumably after the kid’s grandfather, the practice wasn’t strictly adhered to in the family. Indeed, it doesn’t even appear to be the norm. Drake is good on the individual family members and Sobel has a handy family tree, but the latter only covers the descendents of Galileo’s father. 1. Where does the family name come from ? Messy. Drake has a fairly detailed discussion of the possible readings of the inscription _Galileis de Galileis olim Bonaiutis_ on the grave of one of his ancestors c. 1450. The usual interpretation is that this guy was cristened something like Galileo Buonaiuti and then changed it to Galileo Galilei. But there are ambiguities here and it may have been the brother who changed his surname, or something. See Drake. 1. Does the name have anything to do with Galilee ? Sobel claims it does and says that Galileo even had occasion to deny that he was Jewish on account of this reference. But gives no reference. 1. What did his Italian contemporaries call him ? Down the pub, Galileo presumably. But did they ever refer to him simply as Galileo in more formal contexts ? The only facsimile of a contemporary document refering to him in Italian that I’ve been able to dig up prior to posting was photo 7. in Redondi. This is a handwritten Holy Office manuscript that refers to “il libro del Sigr. Galileo Galilei” and then, two lines later, simply as “Sigr. Galilei.” But impossible to know from a single document. [There are plenty of references to “Signor Galileo” in translations from the Italian in the secondary literature. But this may be the translator normalising to the usual version in English.] 1. What did his foreign contemporaries call him ? Don’t have any good examples of informal usage offhand. The title pages of the Latin editions of his works always had Galileo Galilei. Though in Latin usage elsewhere you get variations: the Robusti portrait is labelled Gailileus Gailileus, the Calendi one has Galilaeus Galilaei, while Salonensis refers to him as Galileus in his _Ratio Ponderum_ (photo 6, Redondi). 1. What’s Italian usage now ? Unlike in French, exactly like the English usage. 1. Pronouciation ? I’ve always used Ga-li-lay-o Ga-li-lay-ee. References: de Santillana, Giorgio, _The Crime of Galileo_, Chicago, 1955, p2. Drake, Stillman, _Galileo at Work_, Chicago, 1978, p448-9. Redondi, Pietro, _Galileo Heretic_, Penguin, 1988. Sobel, Dava, _Galileo’s Daughter_, Fourth Estate, p11-16. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/28 "2003-01-27T22:43:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > And FWIW I’ve never heard Tycho Brahe referred to as just “Tycho.” In all my classes we’ve always either called him Tycho Brahe or just Brahe. The obvious counterexample is that the lunar crater is plain “Tycho”. A Dane did once coach me in the correct pronounciation of “Brahe”, but I’m not prepared to attempt rendering it in ASCII. It’s all to do with the back of the throat … ---
**Author:** ![ffabris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@ffabris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ffabris)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/29 "2003-01-27T22:58:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*How is “Galilei” pronounced, anyway? > > “Gal-li-lay-yee?” > > “Gal-li-lay?” > > “Gal-li-leh-yih-ee-ohfuckit?” \*\* More or less like the first way you gave it. (And if it makes any difference, I speak fluent Italian.) ---
**Author:** ![ffabris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@ffabris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ffabris)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/30 "2003-01-27T23:04:40Z")
On saying it in my head, it’s more accurate to say it is pronounced “Ga-li-lay” (where the “y” is kinda longer than usual, but not a separate sylable). ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/31 "2003-01-27T23:42:48Z")
i bet that no one can tell cher’s last name without looking it up. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/32 "2003-01-28T01:04:20Z")
“Galileo” = Gallilean, in Italian and Spanish; “Galilei” = similar to the Latin for “from or of Gallilee” It would be a perfectly appropriate Christian name, as “the Gallilean” (like “the Nazarene”) is one of the ways of making reference to Jesus Christ, that could be used as a given name (e.g. Salvattore = Savior) ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/33 "2003-01-28T01:14:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bonzer \* > \*\*The obvious counterexample is that the lunar crater is plain “Tycho”. > A Dane did once coach me in the correct pronounciation of “Brahe”, but I’m not prepared to attempt rendering it in ASCII. It’s all to do with the back of the throat … \*\* Tycho is TOO-kho approximately. Excellent previous post btw **bonzer**. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/34 "2003-01-28T11:19:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > Tycho is TOO-kho approximately. Most definitely not. As I wrote in another thread about how to pronounce Yngvie Malmsteen’s name the English language lacks the sound. However, if you know French or German it’s like the **u** in _d **u** re_ or **ü** in _L **ü** neburg._ BTW If you would refer to him as just Tycho to a Swede or a Dane you would most probably get a blank stare and a “Tycho who?” in respons. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/35 "2003-01-28T12:11:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*“Tycho” and “Galileo” are both slightly easier to pronounce than “Brahe” and “Galilei”. I think we’re just out of luck when it comes to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. \*\* Moonbearer? ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/36 "2003-02-22T18:47:07Z")
I’m bumping this thread from last month because I’ve just happened upon an elegant observation that addresses an issue I didn’t think of: what did Galileo call **himself**? In _Galileo: Decisive Innovator_ (Cambridge, 1994), Michael Sharratt discusses his ancestry and family on pages 21-3, which includes these comments: > [@](#): > > I am following the usual English practice of calling Galileo by his first name only. It was also Galileo’s own practice when he was annotating opponents’ books with a view to publishing a reply: he often jotted down remarks such as ‘Galileo never said that.’ He is the last of a few great Tuscans such as Dante, Leonardo and Michelangelo to have been extended this compliment by widespread consent. While I’m about it, I may as well take the opportunity to qualify one of my previous generalisations. The name that appears on the title page of the _Sidereus Nuncius_, the work that initially made him famous, is “Galileo Galileo”. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/37 "2003-02-22T21:24:20Z")
I read in the introduction to a book of baby names that surnames were not in use in some very isolated parts of Ireland at the time the book was published. This would have been in the 1930s. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/38 "2003-02-22T21:24:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zagadka \* > **Dunno. Why do we call certain Presidents by their initials, certain Presidents by their last names, and certain presidents by their full names?** This is a bit of a tangent, but… We’ve got, for example: FDR, TRUMAN, IKE, JFK, LBJ, NIXON, FORD, CARTER, REAGAN, BUSH, CLINTON, etc. What’s the difference? Six letters seems to be the limit on what can fit in a newspaper headline. Maybe seven, given the Clinton/Kennedy anomaly (though the L, I, and T in “Clinton” are probably the difference there). Now you’ve just got to wonder why IKE and not DDE. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/39 "2003-02-23T14:52:21Z")
Because “I like DDE” doesn’t rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144/40 "2003-02-23T18:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Northern Piper \* > \*\*Because “I like DDE” doesn’t rhyme. \*\* Clever. But the _Britannica_ says that “Ike” was his family nickname and it followed him into the Army. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-galileo-why-not-galilei/151144.md?page=3)