What Are The Top Ten Italian Surnames

Number 10 Italian Surname Bruno Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Click here to purchase a copy of my story I didn’t have any of the first 9 surnames in my family, but have some Bruno’s going back to Bari in my family tree. The Italian Bruno surname has a few possible sources. It is a patronymicname created from the originally Germanic personal name Bruno. It evolved as a nicknamefrom the Italian word “bruno,” meaning

Number 9 Italian Surname Greco I know a lot of Greco’s, and since many of us have at least a little Greek DNA, it makes sense that it’s in the top 10.  My favorite Greco was Mr. Greco that lived around the block from me.  He had a pie delivery business and would always leave his truck unlocked with a couple of pies in it for the kids to appropriate over night in the summertime!

Number 8 Italian Surname Marino It’s no surprise that Marino is in the top 10 as Italy is surrounded by water.  One would have thought it would be further up the list, it might well be if you include the many variations.  The Marino name is mentioned in the Nobility of Naples and Libro d’Oro, see links  below. The distinguished surname Marino originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people

Number 6 Italian Surname Columbo Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Some places they refer to Columbo as meaning “keeper of doves”.  Which makes sense based on Joe’s explanation.  I suppose Columbus is the most famous “Columbo”.  But then there is Joseph Columbo, head of the well known family. The English rendition of Colombo, Columbus, is actually as it would have been written in ancient Rome. The word Columbus means dove in Latin.  Because

Number 5 Italian Surname Romano I guess it’s not surprise that Romano is in the top 5 most common Italian surnames.  Some show it as 5 some as 6, but we’ll probably see some discrepancies as we move down the list. ROMANO ROMANNO: Local. From lands in the county of Peebles, Scotland, so called from a Roman military way, leading from the famous Roman camp at Line to the Lothians, which passed through the middle

Number 4 Italian Surname Bianchi There is not a lot of information about the Bianchi surname.  Based on what I found below there are two possible origins.  There are many branches of the name or family, with many Stemmari ( Crests ) recorded by Stemmario It. Bianchi is the plural of whites. “People of light complexion” is a good guess, but not an educated one. A religious cult called the “Bianchi” because they dressed in

Number 3 Italian Surname Esposito This is one of the most interesting finds to date.  Not only is there information on Esposito, but also on how Italians would name foundlings or orphans.  There are many designations. Photo By I, Sailko,  Esposito(Italian pronunciation: [eˈspɔːzito]) is a common Italian surname. It ranks fourth among the most widespread surnames in Italy.[1]Although it is frequent throughout the country, it is especially prevalent in the Campaniaregion and, most specifically, in the

Number 1 Italian Surname Russo Russo(Italian: [ˈrusso], Sicilian: [ˈrussʊ]) is a common Siciliansurname, historically denoting nobility.[2]The root of the name originates from Medieval Latin for, Rus’,meaning, “the Norseman”—the Viking founders of the Russian Principalities—from Old Norse, “the men who row”.[3]The first recorded entry of the name Russo was discovered in the documents of Sperlinga Castle in Enna, Sicily, dated 1132.[1]Under the Norman rule of Sicily, King Roger II had granted the land title of Sperlinga Castle to

Number 2 Italian Surname This ancient surname is of pre Christian and Roman origins. Recorded in over seventy spellings from Farrar, Farrah, Pharro and Pharoah, to Ferrara, Ferrari, Varey, Varrow and Ferrarotti, the name derives from the Latin word “ferrum”, through in other countries the later French “ferreor” , and the Middle English “Farrier”. All originally had the same basic meaning of an iron worker, although over the centuries more specific meanings have been applied.

Number 7 Italian Surname Ricci   There are at least thirty known spellings of this famous Italian surname ranging from Ricca, Ricci, Ricco and Rizzo, to Riccelli, Rizzillio and Rizzotto. However spelt they are all nicknames, and all derive from the ancient word ‘ricco’ meaning ‘curly’. It is generally accepted that this was originally a nickname given to people with curly hair, however it was also probably more specific and regional, and may have referred