I have seen a lot of posts with people asking about the Origins of Italian names. There’s a lot of information and articles on the web. I’ll sum it up and attach some links so that they are easy to find.
Like most European countries, Italian names consist of a First Name ( nome ) and last name ( cognome ). In ancient Rome, they used three names a given name, a gentile name and a hereditary name. Italians ( even to this day ) also celebrate “name day”, which is the feast day of the saint that they are named after. I remember my dad Nicholas, always getting a card from my grandmother on Dec. 6.
Now I think we all have the family with 3 cousins named Luigi, Francesco, Paulo, Pietro etc. I am sure you are aware of this convention.
There has been a strong custom in Italy that determines how children are named:
Origin of Italian First Names — Handy for those looking for traditional names
Italian’s have the largest number of surnames in the world, over 350,000!
Pretty cool video map. Find your name and it shows you areas on a map.
A large number of Italian surnames end in i, due to the medieval Italian habit of identifying families by the name of the ancestors in the plural (which have an -isuffix in Italian). For instance, Filippo from the Ormanno family (gli Ormanni) would be called “signor Filippo degli Ormanni” (“Mr. Filippo of the Ormannos”). In time, the middle possessive portion (“of the”) was dropped, but surnames became permanently pluralized and never referred to in the singular, even for a single person. Filippo Ormanno would therefore be known as Filippo Ormanni.[9]Some families, however, opted to retain the possessive portion of their surnames, for instance Lorenzo de’ Mediciliterally means “Lorenzo of the Medici” (de’is a contraction of dei, also meaning “of the”; c.f. The Medicis).
Some common suffixes indicate endearment (which may also become pluralized and receive an -iending), for example:
Other endings are characteristic of certain regions:[6]
As in most other European naming traditions, patronymicsare common. Originally they were indicated by a possessive, e.g., Francesco de Bernardo, meaning “Francis (the son) of Bernard”. De Luca(“[son] of Luke”) remains one of the most common Italian surnames. However, de(“of”) was often dropped and suffixes added, hence de Bernardoevolved to be Bernardoand eventually pluralized as Bernardi(see Suffixesabove).
The origin or residence of the family gave rise to many surnames, e.g.,
Ancestors’ occupation was also a great source of surnames.
Nicknames, referring to physical attributes or mannerism, also gave rise to some family names, e.g., Rossi(from rosso“redhead“), Basso(“short”), Caporaso(“shaved or bald head”), Pappalardo(“lard-eater”, originally an abusive nickname for one who professed himself a devout person but ate meat and fatty dishes in forbidden times),[12]and Barbagelata(“frozen beard”).
A few family names are still in the original Latin, like Santorum, De Juliisand De Laurentiis, reflecting that the family name has been preserved from Medieval Latinsources as a part of their business or household documentation or church records.
For more articles on the topic you can visit.
Or our Surname Search Links
Did you know that there are over 300,000 Italian surnames! That’s more than any other country in the world. We have complied the top ten below. Chances are that your name is not in this group, but for those interested in learning more, the book above list 7,500. More importantly, we get great insight into the origin of surnames and given names. Click on the photo and enter IR2020 at checkout for a 20% discount.
If you are looking to do an Italian Surname Searches , we have found some of the best links. While there are many many links these are our favorites. Visit our LINKS page for more research information. And our BOOKS page for how to research. Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook. This is a really cool site as it gives the origin for your name, also variations and popularity in the US —
During my research on the history of Italian Surnames, I came across this cool list of Fifty Italian Surname Meanings. See if your surname is on the list. You can also search our site for Gallo, Ricci, Bruno, Ferrari, Bianchi, Conti, Gallo, Greco, Russo, Esposito, Romano and Columbo for more information on the top 12 Italian Surnames. There are more than 350,000 Surnames in Italy, more than any other country. So don’t be surprised if
Lorraine LoRusso never imagined her sister's volunteer work would lead to an extraordinary reunion with…
Imagine discovering that your family's story spans centuries and continents, connecting you to people and…
Francesca La Torre, a first-generation American with deep Sicilian roots, brings a tapestry of fascinating…
What if a single journey could unravel years of forgotten history? Join us as we…
Could DNA testing revolutionize your understanding of family history? Join us as we uncover this…
Italian migration to the United States is a storied history. Join me and my partner…