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I wonder why the choice to refer to him as "Leonardo", rather than "da Vinci"? Given that the latter appears to be the more common way of referring to him as th

I wonder why the choice to refer to him as "Leonardo", rather than "da Vinci"? Given that the latter appears to be the more common way of referring to him as the author of many of his other works? They don't refer to Einstein as "Albert".

CamperBob2 4y ago
"da Vinci" just means "from (edited, thanks) a town called Vinci." It doesn't actually identify him (even though everyone knows who you're talking about.) It's a cool article but as the comments point out, it's one heck of a stretch to compare these early notes to anything done by Einstein, or even Newton.
- ithkuil 4y ago
  Da Vinci means "from Vinci" which is a small town near Florence
- bonzini 4y ago
  Note that "da Vinci" means "from Vinci", a small town outside Florence and roughly 300 km away from Venice.
  - robertlagrant 4y ago
    Note that Leonardo means "lion-like strength" in Italian.
    - bromuro 4y ago
      Italians would recognize “Leo-” as “Lion”. The “-hart” suffix is germanic and few in Italy would know what it literally means.
- Karellen 4y ago
  > It doesn't actually identify him (even though everyone knows who you're talking about.) Surely if it means that everyone knows who you're talking about, it does actually identify him. Probably more so than "Leonardo" does. There are plenty of famous people called "Leonardo", but only one who is known as "da Vinci".
  - netule 4y ago
    I'm sure there are plenty of other Italian artists named Michelangelo, but you know who I'm referring to by just using his first name.
svat 4y ago
> Referring to "Leonardo da Vinci" as "da Vinci" is like listing Lawrence of Arabia in the phone book as "Of Arabia, Mr. L," or > The mistake of referring to Leonardo as "da Vinci" is so entrenched, I'm afraid it's uncorrectable. I have had to fight with editors about this: You say "Leonardo," and they want to say "da Vinci," thinking it's his last name — thinking it's the same as saying "Reynolds." They think that, when you say "Leonardo," you're saying the equivalent of "Joshua." Actually, to say "da Vinci" is to say "of Orange," instead of "William." (Both from Cutting in line: What would 'Of Nazareth' do? at http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003151.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003151.h... a post about plagiarism including of these examples.) I, for one, welcome any deviation from the assumption that everyone's name is of the form "Given-name Surname".
hammock 4y ago
Leonardo's full name at birth was simply Leonardo. As an illegitimate child, he was fortunate that his father, Ser Piero, acknowledged him and let him be known as Leonardo di ser Piero. Leonardo was born in Anchiano, a tiny hamlet near the slightly-larger hamlet of Vinci. Ser Piero's family, however, were big fish in the little Vinci pond, and so tagged "da Vinci" ("of" or "from Vinci") after their names. When he became an apprentice, in order to distinguish himself from other various Tuscan Leonardos in 15th-century Florence, and because he had his father's blessing to do so, Leonardo was known as "Leonardo da Vinci." When he traveled beyond the Republic of Florence to Milan, he often referred to himself as "Leonardo the Florentine." Eventually, Leonardo became very famous. He became so famous, in fact, that for the past 500 years he has had no need of a last name (as with "Cher" or "Madonna"), let alone any indication of his father's home town. In art historic circles he is simply, as he started out in this world, Leonardo. "Da Vinci" as in "The Da Vinci Code" is kind of cringeworthy for anyone who traffics in Leonardo.
- Karellen 4y ago
  > "Da Vinci" as in "The Da Vinci Code" I seem to recall him being referred to primarily as "da Vinci" in my childhood, long before that book was ever written. > for anyone who traffics in Leonardo. Interesting. That choice of phrasing makes "Leonardo" sound, to me, like a constructed shibboleth intended to gatekeep those who aren't "in the know". That's probably a slightly uncharitable take (sorry) but it was the first implication that just slapped me in the face. > In art historic circles he is simply, as he started out in this world, Leonardo. I wasn't aware that Ars Technica was aiming at the art historic circle crowd. ;-)
  - hammock 4y ago
    Not trying to gatekeep. The fact is there are subcultures in which Leonardo da Vinci comes up in conversation far more than others. In those (particularly art history), Leonardo is most common
  - subroutine 4y ago
    Socialites who "trafficked in Leonardo" back in the 90s likely pulled the reverse stunt (anyone in the know calls him Da Vinci) after a famous giant rat gave the name Leonardo to a mutant turtle ninja, as Leo was among the rats four favorite artists. TMNT was so popular in the 90s that if you said "I like Leonardo more than Michelangelo", and were not currently standing inside an art gallery, everyone would assume you were talking about Ninja Turtles. If you said "I like Da Vinci more than Michelangelo" people would understand you were saying I like the artist Leonardo Da Vinci more than the ninja turtle Michelangelo ;)
narag 4y ago
They say that when you're famous you lose the given name, when you're more famous it's the only name you go by. In this case is it maybe dependent on country? I know that he was Da Vinci, but always heard mostly "Leonardo" alone. (also Miguel Ángel y Rafael) People saying that "Da Vinci" only means he was from Vinci, come on, that's the case for a lot of family names and it's because, you know, people that started with such name came from such place.
- Tor3 4y ago
  As was said in an earlier comment, that wasn't his family name. That would be "di Ser Piero", if even that could be considered a family name. In this case it did simply mean ".. from / of Vinci". As in "Paul. You know Paul? No, not that one. I mean Paul from Bristol."
TeaBrain 4y ago
The biography I read on Leonardo da Vinci, is simply titled "Leonardo: The Artist and the Man". Leonardo is a unique enough name to non-Italian audiences that using it alone in reference to a inventor/scientist/artist is no less clear than "da Vinci".
- TeaBrain 4y ago
  It occurs to me that Serge Bramly, the author, is Italian, so the same may be true for Italian audiences.
  - simonebrunozzi 4y ago
    In Italy we simply call it Leonardo, or Leonardo Da Vinci. Never just "Da Vinci".

CamperBob2 4y ago

"da Vinci" just means "from (edited, thanks) a town called Vinci." It doesn't actually identify him (even though everyone knows who you're talking about.) It's a cool article but as the comments point out, it's one heck of a stretch to compare these early notes to anything done by Einstein, or even Newton.

ithkuil 4y ago
Da Vinci means "from Vinci" which is a small town near Florence
bonzini 4y ago
Note that "da Vinci" means "from Vinci", a small town outside Florence and roughly 300 km away from Venice.
- robertlagrant 4y ago
  Note that Leonardo means "lion-like strength" in Italian.
  - bromuro 4y ago
    Italians would recognize “Leo-” as “Lion”. The “-hart” suffix is germanic and few in Italy would know what it literally means.
Karellen 4y ago
> It doesn't actually identify him (even though everyone knows who you're talking about.) Surely if it means that everyone knows who you're talking about, it does actually identify him. Probably more so than "Leonardo" does. There are plenty of famous people called "Leonardo", but only one who is known as "da Vinci".
- netule 4y ago
  I'm sure there are plenty of other Italian artists named Michelangelo, but you know who I'm referring to by just using his first name.

svat 4y ago

> Referring to "Leonardo da Vinci" as "da Vinci" is like listing Lawrence of Arabia in the phone book as "Of Arabia, Mr. L," or > The mistake of referring to Leonardo as "da Vinci" is so entrenched, I'm afraid it's uncorrectable. I have had to fight with editors about this: You say "Leonardo," and they want to say "da Vinci," thinking it's his last name — thinking it's the same as saying "Reynolds." They think that, when you say "Leonardo," you're saying the equivalent of "Joshua." Actually, to say "da Vinci" is to say "of Orange," instead of "William." (Both from Cutting in line: What would 'Of Nazareth' do? at http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003151.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003151.h... a post about plagiarism including of these examples.) I, for one, welcome any deviation from the assumption that everyone's name is of the form "Given-name Surname".

hammock 4y ago

Leonardo's full name at birth was simply Leonardo. As an illegitimate child, he was fortunate that his father, Ser Piero, acknowledged him and let him be known as Leonardo di ser Piero. Leonardo was born in Anchiano, a tiny hamlet near the slightly-larger hamlet of Vinci. Ser Piero's family, however, were big fish in the little Vinci pond, and so tagged "da Vinci" ("of" or "from Vinci") after their names. When he became an apprentice, in order to distinguish himself from other various Tuscan Leonardos in 15th-century Florence, and because he had his father's blessing to do so, Leonardo was known as "Leonardo da Vinci." When he traveled beyond the Republic of Florence to Milan, he often referred to himself as "Leonardo the Florentine." Eventually, Leonardo became very famous. He became so famous, in fact, that for the past 500 years he has had no need of a last name (as with "Cher" or "Madonna"), let alone any indication of his father's home town. In art historic circles he is simply, as he started out in this world, Leonardo. "Da Vinci" as in "The Da Vinci Code" is kind of cringeworthy for anyone who traffics in Leonardo.

Karellen 4y ago
> "Da Vinci" as in "The Da Vinci Code" I seem to recall him being referred to primarily as "da Vinci" in my childhood, long before that book was ever written. > for anyone who traffics in Leonardo. Interesting. That choice of phrasing makes "Leonardo" sound, to me, like a constructed shibboleth intended to gatekeep those who aren't "in the know". That's probably a slightly uncharitable take (sorry) but it was the first implication that just slapped me in the face. > In art historic circles he is simply, as he started out in this world, Leonardo. I wasn't aware that Ars Technica was aiming at the art historic circle crowd. ;-)
- hammock 4y ago
  Not trying to gatekeep. The fact is there are subcultures in which Leonardo da Vinci comes up in conversation far more than others. In those (particularly art history), Leonardo is most common
- subroutine 4y ago
  Socialites who "trafficked in Leonardo" back in the 90s likely pulled the reverse stunt (anyone in the know calls him Da Vinci) after a famous giant rat gave the name Leonardo to a mutant turtle ninja, as Leo was among the rats four favorite artists. TMNT was so popular in the 90s that if you said "I like Leonardo more than Michelangelo", and were not currently standing inside an art gallery, everyone would assume you were talking about Ninja Turtles. If you said "I like Da Vinci more than Michelangelo" people would understand you were saying I like the artist Leonardo Da Vinci more than the ninja turtle Michelangelo ;)

narag 4y ago

They say that when you're famous you lose the given name, when you're more famous it's the only name you go by. In this case is it maybe dependent on country? I know that he was Da Vinci, but always heard mostly "Leonardo" alone. (also Miguel Ángel y Rafael) People saying that "Da Vinci" only means he was from Vinci, come on, that's the case for a lot of family names and it's because, you know, people that started with such name came from such place.

Tor3 4y ago
As was said in an earlier comment, that wasn't his family name. That would be "di Ser Piero", if even that could be considered a family name. In this case it did simply mean ".. from / of Vinci". As in "Paul. You know Paul? No, not that one. I mean Paul from Bristol."

TeaBrain 4y ago

The biography I read on Leonardo da Vinci, is simply titled "Leonardo: The Artist and the Man". Leonardo is a unique enough name to non-Italian audiences that using it alone in reference to a inventor/scientist/artist is no less clear than "da Vinci".

TeaBrain 4y ago
It occurs to me that Serge Bramly, the author, is Italian, so the same may be true for Italian audiences.
- simonebrunozzi 4y ago
  In Italy we simply call it Leonardo, or Leonardo Da Vinci. Never just "Da Vinci".