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The name Morocco (Friulano: Moroch or Maroch) can be found in many documents dating back to the XIV century and concerning the zone of Val Pontaiba.
In a testament dated 21.11.1348, kept in the Library of Udine, we can read about someone called "Giovanni Morocho q. Nicolò da Luusulo e di Pietro e Wargendo figli del q.Giovanni Morocco".
In the same date we can find someone called "Enrico Moroch da Zenodis". On 15.01.1349 we find as a witness for another testament "Enrico q.Morocco da Siaio".
In the following century the surnames known to us are taking shape with some variations. So on 21.05.1476 Lonardo Muruchutti and Matteo q. Odorico Muruchutti from Ligosullo are paying to S. Daniele church the rent due for a field (parchment in the parish archives of Paluzza). Some years later in Tausia we find a certain "Mattio di Zuan Muruchut".
During the XVI century this surname spreads in the near valley together with the older form MAROCCO, the latter will disappear with Giacomo (dead in 1675) who, due to his craft of a miller (molendinarius), is called Molinaro, giving birth to the Molinari family. To make up for it he left his old family name to an area in Murzalis that it is still called today Maroch.
But, for what reason Morocutti is connected with Morocco? Because Morocutti is a diminutive for Morocco, as well as Biasutti is a diminutive for Biagio or Miniutti is diminutive for Domenico. And moreover… Morocutti has nothing to do with "Moro-cute" (dark-skin, as the family coat of arms seems to give us to understand).
Morocco (in Friulano Maròch) is a first name widespread during the Middle Age also in the rest of Italy and it became a surname too (see: Marocchi). It is also the name of a Saint! In "De Scotorum Fortitudine" published in Paris on 1631, David Camerarius declares that Saint Moroc was abbot of the ancient abbey of Dunkeld (Scotland) in the IX century. His day is celebrated on November 8th.
In the beginning the surname Morocutti spreads in Ligosullo and Tausia. It comes to Treppo in the XVII century with Biagio di Vît or Spinele da Tausia, giving birth here to the families of Sarons and de Filippe. Then with Pietro da Ligosullo there is another spreading: his son Giovanni on 1631 builds the house known as "Convent" in Trelli and he is the founder of the family Morocutti in Zuglio.
In Paluzza among the most known members of the family there is the notary, who lived in the second half of the XVIII century; but today this line of the family is already extinct.
Nowadays we can find the Morocutti in various parts of Friuli, Italy and above all in Austria; the latter are the descendants of the cramârs or slaifers emigrated in the last three centuries. In Germany their name is MORGOTT and they are descendants of a certain Giovanni Morocutti Teck, emigrated to Spalt/Baviera in 1726. This family gave also some priests to the Church: Floreano (the most famous, historian, who died in Baviera), Osvaldo, Antonio and Francesco, all coming from Tausia (they lived in the XVIII century), Filippo (Pré Filip) for 43 years curate in Ligosullo, coming from the family "dal Ròs" and brother of sciôr Cristof, who was in the last century the most powerful and well-off man in the place. From the family Morocutti of Zuglio came pré Giovanni, chaplain in Cavazzo, he died in 1739.
Today in Udine lives mons. Giacomo Diego Morocutti, whose grandfather was coming from Ligosullo.
In the Val Pontaiba at the end of the year 1996 there were altogether 80 persons with this surname, being the 10% of the population.
don Tarcisio Puntel
