italian surnames
Could anyone explain me the following italian surnames:Mariani
Beretta
Riva
Canepa
Giusti
Cappellini
Iacono
Campisi
SannaThanks
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Replies

Beretta:
from Italian berretta, berretto meaning "beret"Canepa:
from Italian canapa meaning "hemp". Someone who cultivated hemp or who made ropes out of hemp. Same as Canevari.Cappellini:
from Italian cappello meaning "hood". Nickname for someone who made or sold hoods. The -ini ending is a diminutive.Giudice:
like Giudici from the Italian giudice meaning "judge".Giusti:
"son of Giusto", Giusto being Italian for Iustus. Or from placenames like San Giusto.Iacono:
from Southern dialect iacono from Italian diacono meaning "deacon".Mariani:
"son of Mariano".Riva:
from various placenames containing the name Riva, from the Italian riva meaning "coast, riverbank".Sanna:
from dialect sanna from Italian zanna meaning "tusk, fang, tush", probably a nickname related to the person's teeth.sources:
www.ancestry.com
http://www.melegnano.net/cognomi/cognomi0001.htm
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would like to know where this name came from
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Iacono, I'm sure, means "deacon".
Canepa means "hemp", cognate with cannabis. I think there's a surname Caneparo also, which looks occupational, so maybe Canepa has the same meaning, whatever that is.
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