Argerich
Argerich (Eastern Catalan: [ərʒəˈɾik], Western Catalan: [aɾdʒeˈɾik, aɾʒeˈɾik]; modern spelling Argeric) is a noble Catalan surname from Germanic origin, also common in Argentina.
Relocation to Northern Spain
18th-Century Spanish documents record both the granting of (and confirmation of prior Central European) titles of nobility, of unclear degree, to the family following the Spanish War of Succession by "Cedula Real" (Royal Decree) of King Phillip V of Spain. Following Phillip V's Nueva Planta decrees, the Cedula identifies by name "Don Francisco de Argerich y Baliath", associating the family's former status of foreign nobility now both recognized and elevated to a higher degree in the Principality of Catalonia. Given the lack of access to primary sources, this information appears reprinted in numerous secondary sources - in some of which second surname of "Baliath" is Hispanicized and his name written as written "Don Francisco de Argerich y Batalla". The current family seal has never been modified again after Phillip V's royal decree, which was granted to Don Francisco and all his future descendants.
The surname Argerich is shared by several notable people, among them being:
- Martha Argerich (born 1941), Argentinian concert pianist
- Juan Argerich (1862–1924), Argentinian statesman
- Manuel Argerich (1851–1875), Argentinian politician, writer, and medical doctor
- Cosme Argerich (1758–1820), Surgeon General in the Argentinian Revolutionary Army of the Andes