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The family name Gerolymatos stems from the family name Caruso. The “Livre D’or de la Noblesse Ionnienne” (Golden Book of Ionian Nobility), edition of 1926, states that the Carusos were Barons de la Terra Bassa (Barons of the Low Country) in the Ancient Kingdom of Sicily.
The name Caruso originates from a Cavaliere (Knight) named Pier Fortugno who was in the service of Emperor Frederic II of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1026 AD, at the siege of the town of Nocera in southern Italy, the Emperor’s army could not breach the city walls. Cutting his long hair and disguising himself as a monk, Fortugno entered the town and succeeded in opening the gates during the night, allowing the Emperor’s knights to rush in and take the town.
For this feat Fortugno was subsequently known as Cavaliere Caruso (literally, Knight Shorn-hair), and bore appropriate armorial designs on his shield.
In 1495 Constantino Caruso, a descendent of Cavaliere Caruso, left Sicily for the Orient. Having chosen a military career, he soon became one of the knights who fought the Turks under the flag of the Republic of Venice. Returning from the Orient, he touched on the isle of Cephalonia (then Venetian, now Greek), where he settled and married, eventually dying in 1502.
His only son, Cristoforo, went to Venice in 1525 in order to obtain some recognition of his father’s services to the State. The Republic reacted favorably, declared Cristoforo a Noble of the Island of Cephalonia, granted him a large tract of land as his fief, and gave him the right to build a house within the walls of the Castle of St. George.
The title of Count was granted to the family Caruso by the Doge of Venice in 1704 in recognition of its services in the wars of Crete.
Gerolamo Caruso, a descendant of Cristoforo’s, decided to “Cephalonialize” his family name. Just like Robinson in England was “Robin’s son”, and Hansen in Scandinavia was “Hans’ son”, Gerolymatos was “Gerolamo’s son”.
The name Gerolymatos held, and was (and still is) a well-known and respected Greek name.
The direct descendant of Pier Fortugno, the eldest surviving son of the eldest surviving son back to the 11th century, is Ploutarchos Gerolymatos who currently resides in Athens.
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