Caboto

Caboto is an Italian surname, commonly found in Italian-language sources as Caboto and in English as Cabot. The name is historically associated with European exploration during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and several navigators bearing the name contributed to early Atlantic voyages.

The best-known bearer is Giovanni Caboto, known in English as John Cabot. He was a late 15th-century Italian navigator who sailed under the sponsorship of King Henry VII of England to seek a westward route to Asia. Contemporary sources place his origins in northern Italy, with Genoa or Venice as possibilities. In 1497 he commanded a voyage to the coast of North America, reaching lands along present-day Newfoundland and claiming them for England. His voyage is regarded as a foundational event in the subsequent European exploration and claim of parts of the North American continent; details about his life after the voyage are sparse, and the exact date of his death is uncertain.

Sebastián Caboto, or Sebastiano Caboto, was a Venetian navigator and cartographer active in the early 16th century. He is commonly linked to the Caboto family and is noted for his involvement in Atlantic exploration and mapmaking, serving under various European rulers during a period of intensified maritime exploration. As with Giovanni, the historical record emphasizes contribution to the growth of European geographic knowledge rather than precise biographical details.

The surname Caboto appears primarily in historical and biographical contexts related to these explorers. English-language sources typically render the name as Cabot, while Italian sources retain the original Caboto form. Variants and attributions to other individuals with the same surname are occasionally found in historical records.