This most unusual name is Italian in origin, and is one of the patronymic forms of the surname formed from the male personal name Michael. This is ultimately of Hebrew origin, from "Micha-el", "Who is like God?", a name borne by various minor biblical characters as well as the archangel. In Christian tradition, Michael was regarded as the warrior archangel, conqueror of Satan, and the given name was correspondingly popular throughout Europe, especially in knightly and military families. Certainly there are a great number and variety of surnames from "Michael"; the Italian patronymic forms include Michaelis and De Micheli(s), and those formed from diminutives, such as De Mico, De Michetti, and De Micoli (or Demicoli, with fused preposition). The birth of Gaetano Andrea Demicheli was recorded in Genoa, Italy, on 1811. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Salvatore Giuseppe Lorenzo Micoli, which was dated October 2nd 1775, born in Martina Franca, Taranto, Italy, during the reign of Pope Pius V1, 1775 - 1799. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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