Italian Submitted Surnames

Italian names are used in Italy and other Italian-speaking regions such as southern Switzerland. See also about Italian names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Abbruzzese Italian
Habitational name for someone originally from Abruzzo, a region in southern Italy.
Abreo French, Italian
Abreo or its variant Abreu comes from the French Alfred (alf = Elf; fred = conseil). The meaning is wise counselor.... [more]
Abruzzese Italian
Regional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf. Abruzzo).
Abruzzo Italian
Name for a person originally from the region of Abruzzo in northern Italy.
Acacio Italian
From the given name Acacio.
Acampora Italian, Medieval Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Acampora is a variant of Acanfora, from the medieval personal name Canfora, from canfora ‘camphor’ (from Arabic kāfūr).
Accetta Italian
From the female form of southern Italian Accetto, a medieval personal name from the Latin name Acceptus (from acceptus 'welcome', 'well-liked').
Accusato Italian
Means "accused" in Italian.
Aceto Italian
Variant of Accetto.
Achille French, Italian
From the given name Achille
Acquaviva Italian
From an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".
Acquistapace Italian
Means "buy peace" in Italian, from acquista "to buy, to purchase" and pace "peace".
Acri Italian
Habitational name from a place in Cosenza province named Acri.
Adauto Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Adauto.
Addamo Italian
Variant of Adamo.
Adipietro Italian
meaning "to tell Peter"; "to appear before Peter"... [more]
Adorno Italian
Southern Italian: from the personal name Adorno, meaning ‘adorned’.... [more]
Agar Greek, Italian, French
From the personal name Agar
Agassi Armenian, Persian, Italian
The surname Agassi most likely evolved from a nickname for someone resembling a mappie, perhaps jokingly referred to as chattering or nagging person. ... [more]
Agirmo Italian
two hypotheses: either from the Greek agyrmos meaning "symposium, meeting" which was the name of the first day of the Misteri Eleusini in Athens.... [more]
Agostinelli Italian
From the given name Agostino.
Agostino Italian
From the given name Agostino.
Aguzzi Italian
Comes from an ancient Roman cognomen, Acutus, also possibly derived from Italian "aguzzo" meaning sharp, pointed.
Albanese Italian
Southern Italian : ethnic name from albanese ‘(an) Albanian’, applied to someone from Albania or from one of the Albanian settlements in Abruzzo, Apulia, Campania, and Sicily.
Alberico Italian
From the given name Alberico
Alberti Italian
From the given name Alberto.
Albertini Italian
"Son of Alberto".
Albino Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Albino
Albo Spanish, Italian, Jewish
It is derived from the name Albert, Alberto, Albino, and Alberico.... [more]
Alessandro Italian
From the given name Alessandro.
Alessio Italian
From the given name Alessio.
Alfani Italian
(or Alfano) three possibilities: from the German word halfer ("helper"), from a place called Alfano, which is supposed to be from the Arab al fannan ("wild donkey"), and Alfana is the name of a race (as in type) of Arab horses, so could be someone related to horses.
Alfeo Italian
From the given name Alfeo.
Alfonsi Italian
From the given name Alfonso.
Alfredi Italian
Derived from the given name Alfredo.
Alfredo Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Alfredo.
Algieri Italian
Italian form of Algerie.
Alighieri Italian
From the given name Alighiero, Italian form of Aldiger. A famous bearer of this surname is Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of the Divine Comedy.
Alpini Italian
(or Alpino) possibly denoting a person from the Alpes.
Amadeo Italian
From the given name Amadeo.
Amadi Persian, Romanian, Italian, Maltese
Variant of Ahmadi common in Romania and Italy. It is typical of Malta.
Amanzi Italian
Possibly from amate "to love". Alternately, may be from the dialectical word manzu "tame, gentle, docile", or from the given name Mantius.
Amara Italian
Meaning bitter, unhappy or unfortunate.
Ambrogio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.
Ambrosini Italian
Diminutive form of Ambrosi.
Ameche Italian (Anglicized)
Americanised form of Amici. A famous bearer was American actor, comedian and vaudevillian Don Ameche (1908-1993). After portraying the title character in the movie The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), his surname led Americans to use the word ameche as a juvenile slang for a telephone.
Ameglio Italian
There are two hypotheses: the first is it derived from the Latin name Amelius which came from Amius, name of Etruscan origin; the other is it derived from Amali, name of a mighty Ostrogothic family, which means "virgin of the forest".
Amendola Italian
Southern Italian: habitational name from any of several places in southern Italy named Amendola or Mendola, named with the dialect word amendola 'almond', 'almond tree' (from Greek amygdalea), or a topographic name for someone who lived by an almond tree or trees.
Amici Italian
From the given name Amico.
Amico Italian
Means "friend".
Amistadi Italian
From the Renaissance term amistade ("friendship").
Ammazzalorso Italian
From the profession of bear hunter, meaning literally "slaughter the bear".
Amoroso Italian
A nickname for a much loved person.
Anastasio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Anastasio.
Andreacchio Italian
Derived from the given name Andrea 1.
Andreola Italian
Meaning of name is unknown
Andreozzi Italian
From the given name Andrea 1.
Angela Italian
Derived from the given name Angelus (see Angel).
Angellotti Italian
Comes from a pet form of Angelo, variant of Angelotti.
Angelo Italian
From a popular medieval personal name, Angelo, Latin Angelus, from Greek angelos "messenger, angel" (considered as a messenger sent from God).
Angeloni Italian
Means "great angels" in Italian. It derives from Biblical Latin angelus meaning "angel", ultimately from Ancient Greek angelos, originally meaning "messenger", changing meaning in the Bible.
Angelotti Italian
Comes from a pet form of Angelo.
Angelucci Italian
From a pet form of the personal name Angelo.
Angott Italian (Anglicized)
The origin of this surname is unknown but is most likely an anglicized version of the Italian surname 'Angotti'.... [more]
Angrisani Italian
From Angrisano, a habitational name for someone from Angri in Salerno province.
Anguissola Italian
Sofonisba Aguissola was a celebrated artist of the Italian Renaissance.
Aniceto Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Aniceto.
Anna English, Irish, Italian, Hungarian
Probably derived from the female first name Anna.
Annunziato Italian
From the given name Annunziato.
Ansaldo Italian
From the given name Ansaldo.
Antolini Italian
The family originated from Sarnano (Macerata) and at the end of the century XVII transplanted to Montealbodo today Ostra (Ancona) where it was aggregated to that nobility.
Antonacci Italian
From the given name Antonio.
Antonello Italian
From the given name Antonello.
Antonucci Italian
From the given name Antonio.
Anzalone Italian
The surname Anzalone was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia).
Aondio Italian
Possibly a contracted form of Abundio.
Apicella Italian
Southern Italian: from a diminutive of apa ‘bee’, probably applied as a nickname for an industrious person, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.
Apollo Italian, Spanish
From the Greek personal name Apollo. There are several saints Apollo in the Christian Church, including an Egyptian hermit and monastic leader who died in 395 ad. The personal name derives from the name in classical mythology of the sun god, Apollo, an ancient Indo-European name, found for example in Hittite as Apulana "god of the gate" (from pula "gate", cognate with Greek pylē), therefore "protector, patron".
Apolloni Italian
From the given name Apollonia, which is the Latin feminine form of Apollonios, which in turn was derived from the name of the Greek god Apollo.
Apollonio Italian
From the given name Apollonio
Aquila Italian
Habitational name from L'Aquila in Abruzzo or from any of various smaller places called Aquila.
Aquinas Italian
Aquinas indicates ancestral origins from the Italian county "Aquino." Aquino comes from the latin word "Aquinum" which itself probably comes from the latin word aqua. Aqua means water in English.
Aràbia Italian, Spanish
Ethnic name for someone from Arabia or some other Arabic-speaking country or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries.
Araldi Italian
Means “heralds” in Italian. Famous bearers include Italian painters Alessandro Araldi (c. 1460 – c. 1529) and Paolo Araldi (18th century – after 1820).
Arcangeli Italian
Meaning "archangel" in Italian.
Arcangelo Italian
From the given name Arcangelo.
Arditi Italian
The heraldic tradition has it that this illustrious family, called Ardito or Arditi, is the same one that flourished in Lombardy with the name of Conti, and that, transplanted in the Neapolitan with the Lombard hostages taken by the emperor Federico II, left that name, changing it.
Ardito Italian
From the given name Ardito.
Ardolino Italian
Believed to have come from Arduino; is most common in the Campania area of Italy.
Arduino Italian
From the given name Arduino.
Arenaldi Italian (Rare)
Originally found in the Campania, Foggia area. Derived from the medieval name of Germanic origin Arenaldus or Arinaldus
Argenti Italian
Patronymic or plural form of Argento.
Argento Italian
Means "silver" in Italian, originally used as an occupational name for a silversmith or a nickname for a person with gray hair.
Argenziano Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Argenzio, ultimately from Latin argenteus meaning "silver". A famous bearer was American actor Carmen Argenziano (1943-2019).
Arinaldi Italian (Rare)
Variant of Arenaldi. Originally found in the Campania, Foggia area. Derived from the medieval name of Germanic origin Arenaldus or Arinaldus
Ariosto Italian
From the Germanic given name Ariost, meaning "battle-ready". A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533).
Arlotta Sicilian
From the French personal name Arlot, recorded in the Latinized form Arolottus from the 13th century.
Armellino Italian
Italian: of uncertain origin; possibly from a masculinized form of Armellina, an old female personal name derived from Latin animula, a diminutive of anima ‘spirit’, ‘soul’.
Armenia Italian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese
Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Armenia or who had connections with Armenia. This surname is derived from the feminine form of Armenio, which is ultimately from Greek Αρμένιος (Armenios) meaning "Armenian"... [more]
Arra Galician, Sicilian
Habitational name from a place in Galicia called Arra, this surname was also found in some parts of Sicily.
Arrigo Italian
Italian: from the medieval personal name Arrigo, a variant of Enrico.
Arrotino Italian
Occupational name meaning "knife-sharpener, knife-grinder" in Italian.
Arturo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Arturo.
Ascanio Italian
From the given name Ascanio.
Ascencio Spanish, Italian
From the personal name (Latin Ascensius), favored by the early Christians, by whom it was bestowed with reference to the ascension of Christ (Late Latin ascensio).
Asperges Italian
It means "you bless", and it is also the device used by priests to spread holy water over people or places
Assanti Italian
Derived from the Italian personal name Alessandro.
Astoni Italian
It is the surname of the Home and Away family, The Astoni family, consisting of 4 members, Ben, Maggie, Coco and Ziggy.
Astore Italian
Derived from Italian astore meaning "goshawk", which is a bird of prey that was used for hunting in the Middle Ages. The surname had first started out as a nickname: either for a falconer, or for a person who had aquiline features or who was cunning by nature.
Attilio Italian
From the given name Attilio.
Audino Italian
Derived from first name 'Alda' which means 'wise and experienced.'
Augello Italian
Italian (Campania) dialect variant of Uccello ‘bird’, hence either a nickname for a diminutive, birdlike person or an occupational name for a fowler. Compare Auciello.
Aurelio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Aurelio
Auricchio Italian
"A nickname from a dialect variant of orecchio ‘ear’ (from Latin auricula)."
Aurora Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, Portuguese
Means "dawn" in Latin (see the given name Aurora).
Avallone Italian
Topographic name for someone who lived in a deep valley.
Avamilano Spanish, Italian
Of Spanish origin, but probably has its roots in Italy due to the word "milano" which means Milan in Italian.
Avara Italian
Italian feminine form of Avaro.
Avena Spanish, Italian
A traditionally Spanish and Italian occupational surname for a "grain grower or merchant", or the Italian habitation surname for Avena, Calabria. Means "oats". From the Latin avēna meaning 'oats, wild oats, straw'.
Aversano Italian
A nickname for a wealthy person.
Avogadro Italian
An occupational name for a lawyer or public official with administrative duties. Ultimately from Latin advocator, "advocate".
Azuaje-fidalgo Portuguese (Rare), Spanish, Italian
Fidalgo from Galician and Portuguese filho de algo — equivalent to "nobleman", but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitled nobility... [more]
Bachechi Italian
Comes from the Tuscan-Italian personal name Baccio.
Bacigalupo Italian
From Ligurian bacigare "to beat with a stick" and lupo "wolf", or from Genoese basigâ "to swing, to tease" and lupo "wolf". Possibly a nickname for someone considered courageous or cowardly, or an occupational name for a hunter.
Baffa Italian
The origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be from Italian baffo "mustache", with the Latinate feminine suffix probably due to the influence of the word famiglia "family". Alternatively it may be Albanian in origin, of unexplained meaning.
Baio Italian
From a nickname for someone with light brown or reddish-brown hair or beard, from baio meaning "bay horse", ultimately derived from Late Latin badius meaning "red-brown".
Balbino Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Balbino.
Baldassare Italian
Frokm the given name Baldassare.
Baldo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Baldo.
Baldoni Italian
From the Germanic word "baltha", which means "gallant" or "bold."
Baldovino Italian
From the given name Baldovino.
Balistreri Sicilian
Means "archer, crossbowman" or "crossbow maker" in Sicilian.
Balivo Italian
From balivo "bailiff".
Balma Italian
Perhaps a topographic name from the dialect word balma meaning ‘grotto’, ‘cave’, ‘jutting rock’.
Balsano German (Austrian), Italian
The roots of the distinguished surname Balzano lie in Austria. The name derives itself from "Balthasar," the name of one of the three Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and was popular as both a first name and a family name during the 18th century.... [more]
Banderali Italian
Italian cognate of Banner.
Bandi Italian
Derived from Late Latin Bandus itself from the Germanic band and the Latin banda, all meaning "sign, emblem, banner". It can also derive from the Italian word bando meaning "announcement" from the Germanic bann.
Baratto Italian
From Italian baratto "barter, exchange, swap", likely used for a merchant.
Barbagelata Italian
Named after the hamlet of Barbagelata, located in the commune of Lorsica, Genoa, Liguria, Italy. The name possibly means "cold beard", as it derives from "barba" (beard) and "gelata" (female form of cold).
Barbaro Italian
Occupational name for a barbarian.
Barbarossa Italian
Means "red beard" in Italian.
Barbera Italian
Derogatory nickname from barbera ‘barber’s wife’, a term also used to denote a prostitute or dishonest woman. Catalan (Barberà): habitational name from a place in Tarragona province, named with Late Latin Barbarianum ‘place of Barbarius’, a derivative of Barbarus (see Barbaro)... [more]
Barbuto Italian
Nickname for a bearded person.
Barella Italian
From a derivative of Barone.
Barile Italian
From Italian barile "barrel" either an occupational name for a Cooper or a nickname for a fat man.
Barilla Italian
Occupational name from medieval Greek barellas "cooper" from Italian barella "barrel" with the suffix (e)as.
Barno Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, Russian
The surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common... [more]
Baroni Italian
Variant of Barone.
Barriera Italian
Means "barrier" in Italian.
Bartoli Italian
Derived from the Italian name Bartolo.
Bartolo Italian
From the given name Bartolo
Bartolotta Italian
Bartolotta was the name taken by the followers of Saint Bartholomew. Bartholomew was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. He is credited as bringing Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century.
Bartolozzi Italian
Derives from the medieval male given name "Bartholomew".
Barzagli Italian
Probably from barezzo, an old word of Germanic origin used to denote people who bred pigs or sold ham.
Basciani Italian
The surname Basciani derives from a nickname probably given to the family of origin (from the Latin "Bassus"), for the probable short stature of some components, although the derivation from the Campania family "Bassus" is not excluded.
Basileo Galician, Italian, Spanish
From the given name Basileo.
Basilio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Basilio.
Battistella Italian
From St. John the Baptist, the first bearers of this name were devoted to this saint. Another etymology would be a patronymic from the given name Battista, anyway linked to the aforementioned saint.
Bavaro Italian
Ethnic name from bavaro "Bavarian" someone from Bavaria, now part of Germany, but formerly an independent kingdom.
Baviera Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "Bavaria" in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Catalan. Indicating for someone from Bavaria a state in Germany.
Beccaria Italian
From beccaro "butcher", ultimately from becco "goat".
Becci Italian
Possibly derived from a dialectic form of vecchio "old", or from Celtic becci "beaks", perhaps indicating someone with a large nose.
Bedogni Italian
Probably from the archaic term bedogna, a kind of polenta (a dish of boiled cornmeal), or a rosary.
Bedoni Italian
Probably of French origin, from betun "mud" or bedon "paunch, pot belly".
Beffa Italian
Nickname for a practical joker, from Italian beffa "trick, prank".
Belfiore Italian
Means "beautiful (as a) flower", derived from Italian bel "beautiful" combined with Italian fiore "flower". Two Italian sources claim that this surname was derived from the medieval masculine given name Belfiore (which has of course the same meaning), but I can find no evidence that this was an actual given name in medieval Italy... [more]
Belisario Italian, Spanish
From the given name Belisario.
Bellagamba Italian
Means "beautiful leg" in Italian.
Bellanca Sicilian
Originally a nickname derived from Italian bella "beautiful" and anca "hip".
Bellaria Italian
From the place name Bellaria, in Milan, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily, these homonyms widespread throughout Italy.
Bellocchio Italian
Means "beautiful eyes", from bello "beautiful" and occhio "eyes", or perhaps from belloccio "good-looking, attractive".
Belluomini Italian
Variant and plural of Belluomo
Belmondo Italian
Name of Italian origin meaning "beautiful world". Famous bearers of the name are the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-) and the Italian cross-country skier, twice Olympic champion and four times World champion Stefania Belmondo (1969-).
Bena Italian
From a reduced form of the medieval personal name Benenato.
Benanti Italian
From a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
Benedetto Italian
From the given name Benedetto.
Benelli Italian
The distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [more]
Benigni Italian
Patronymic form of Benigno. A notable bearer is the Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni (1952-).
Benigno Spanish, Italian
From the given name Benigno.
Benni Italian
"son of Benno". From Bennus.