In 1278, the de Cerineo family was founded as Croatian nobility on the Dalmatian island of Brac, which dates to prehistoric times and was once inhabited by the Illians. The island's Dalmatian and Greek inhabitants merged together, followed by the Etruscans and Romans.
The de Cerineo family founded two settlements, the Castle at Skrip and the Castle at Skpliska, both of which still exist to this day. In 1976, Harvard University led an archaeological dig surrounding the Castle at Skrip.
The city state of Venice granted the family with nobility in 1489. In order to establish the nobility as Italian, the family name was modified from de Cerinic to de Cerineo. In written history, the family is referred to by both names.