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.
Pesto Italian
1. Etymology:... [more]
Petito Italian, Judeo-Italian
Nickname for a small person, derived from a dialectal word ultimately from French petit meaning "small, little".
Petrelli Italian
From the given name Pietro.
Petrillo Italian
From the given name Pietro. A famous user of this name is Sophia Petrillo, one of the main characters on the sitcom, The Golden Girls.
Petrocelli Italian
Pluralized variant of Petrosello, itself a variant of Petrosino.
Petrone Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.
Petroni Italian
Derived from the given name Petronio.
Petronio Italian
From the given name Petronio.
Petrosino Italian
Habitational name from Petrosino in Trapani, Sicily.
Petrosino Italian
From petrosino "parsley", a southern dialect variant of prezzemolo.
Petrucci Italian
From the given name Pietro.
Pettinati Italian
Diminutive form of Pettinato.
Pettinato Italian
Italian cognate of Peinado.
Peverelli Italian
Likely an altered form of Poverelli.
Piagnolo Italian (Anglicized, Modern)
It was borrowed from Italian chemist Giovenco Piagnolo
Piana Italian
Topographic name from piana ‘plain’, ‘level ground’, from Latin planus, or a habitational name from any of the places named with this word.
Piano Italian
Topographic name for someone who lived on a plain or plateau, Italian piano (Latin planum, from the adjective planus ‘flat’, ‘level’).
Pica Italian, Catalan
Nickname for a gossipy or garrulous person, from the central-southern Italian word pica ‘magpie’. Compare Picazo.Catalan: habitational name from any of the numerous places called Pica.Catalan: from either pica ‘pointed object’ (weapon, etc.) or a derivative of picar ‘to prick’.
Piccinini Italian
meaning- little one
Piccioni Italian
From Italian piccione, "pigeon".
Piccolantonio Italian
Means "little Antonio" in Italian
Piccolo Italian
Nickname from piccolo "small".
Piedmont Italian (Americanized, Rare)
Means "foothill," coming from the Italian terms pied "foot" and monte "hill."
Piemonte Italian
Denotes someone from Piedmont.
Pietrafesa Italian
The derivation of the name Pietrafesa comes from the cracked aspect of the mountain on which it rose. In Italian "Pietra" mean Rock and "-fesa" comes from the Italian word fessura meaning cracked.... [more]
Pietrangelo Italian
Derived from the given name Pietrangelo, a variant of Pierangelo, formed from Pietro and Angelo.
Pili Italian
Sardinian form of Italian pelo "hair, hairy".
Pingitore Italian, Sicilian
occupational name from pittore "painter".
Pininfarina Italian
A combination of "pinin", Piedmontese for youngest/smallest brother, and Farina, the Italian variant of Miller. This is the name of the Italian coachbuilder, founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina, later Battista Pininfarina.
Pino Spanish, Galician, Italian
Spanish and Galician habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) named Pino from pino "pine" or a topographic name for someone who lived by a remarkable pine tree. Italian habitational name from Pino d'Asti in Asti province Pino Torinese in Torino or Pino Solitario in Taranto all named with pino "pine’... [more]
Piovasco Italian, Literature
Means "shower, brief fall of rain" in Italian, from Italian piovere or piova, both meaning "rain" with an added suffix. Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is the protagonist in the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, who inherited this surname from his father, Arminio Piovasco.
Piredda Italian
From Sardinian piredda "small pear". Compare Piras.
Pirelli Italian
From an altered form of the given name Piero.
Pirovano Italian
Probably from a place in Lombardy, itself possibly deriving from Ancient Greek πυρο- (pyro-) "fire" and -γενής (-genes) "born of".
Pirro Italian
Pirro is a nickname for Peter.
Pisa Italian
Habitational name from the city of Pisa in Tuscany. The city was probably founded by Greek colonists, but before coming under Roman control it was in the hands of the Etruscans, who probably gave it its name... [more]
Pisano Italian
Variant of Pisani.
Piscopo Italian
From a reduced form of episcopo "bishop" (Greek episkopos "bishop", literally "overseer"), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a bishop, or perhaps a nickname for a pompous person.
Pisoni Italian
patronymic "from Pisone", from a derivative of Piso, from Latin pisum "pea"
Pistario Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pistario is a surname, mainly used in the Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese languages.
Pittau Italian
Sardinian diminutive of Sebastiano.
Pizza Italian
Variant of Pizzo.
Pizzuto Italian
Italian surname derived from a nickname meaning ‘malicious’.
Platini Italian
Occupational name for a person who coats objects with platinum, derived from Italian platinare literally meaning "to platinize, to coat with platinum". A notable bearer is the former French soccer star Michel Platini (1955-).
Plescia Italian
From Albanian plesht "flea".
Po Italian
Derived from Po the longest river in Italy (651,8 km). It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps across the regions: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto... [more]
Pochettino Italian (Modern)
Famous Argentine soccer manager named Mauricio Pochettino (Born 1972)
Podda Italian
From Sardinian podda "flour", or pudda "chicken".
Poli Italian
From the given name Polo, medieval variant of Paolo.
Polidore Italian (Americanized), French
Americanized form of Polidoro and French variant of Polydore from the given name Polydore.
Polidori Italian
Means "son of Polidoro". Famous bearers include John William Polidori (1795-1821), a physician to Lord Byron and author of 'The Vampyre' (1819), and his sister Frances Polidori (1800-1886), the mother of painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet Christina Rossetti, critic William Michael Rossetti, and author Maria Francesca Rossetti.
Polito Italian
Reduced form of Ippolito. Compare French Hypolite, Greek Politis... [more]
Polombo Italian
Derived from Palombo literally meaning "Ring Dove" or Palombella meaning "Wood Pigeon" in the dialects of Southern Italy.
Pomante Italian
An occupational name for someone who farms or sells fruit, from Italian pomo "apple", descended from Latin pomum "fruit, fruit tree".
Pompei Italian
Habitational name from a place called Pompei in Naples province. Or a patronymic or plural form of Pompeo.
Pompeo Italian
From the Italian given name Pompeo.
Pompilii Italian, Medieval Latin
The surname Pompilii is of Italian origin and is likely derived from the Latin name Pompilius, which is historically linked to Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome known for his wisdom and religious reforms... [more]
Pompilio Italian
From the given name Pompilio
Ponzi Italian
The surname of an early perpetrator of a Ponzi Scheme.... [more]
Porcari Italian, English
From Italian porci "pigs", denoting someone who worked as a pig herder.
Porcaro Italian
From Italian porcaro "swineherd".
Porcelli Italian
From Italian porcello, meaning "piglet". Used to denote someone who worked as a swineherd, or perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled a piglet in some way.
Porcu Italian
From Sardinian porcu "pig".
Porfirio Spanish, Italian
From the given name Porfirio
Porrin Italian
Americanized form of Perino.
Portanova Italian, Portuguese, Galician
Habitational name from a place or locality called Portanova "new gate" from the elements neos "new" and porta "door".
Portera Italian
Occupational name for a female servant, from Spanish portera.
Porzio Italian
From the given name Porzio.
Posada Italian
Spanish: habitational name from any of the numerous places named Posada, from posada ‘halt’, ‘resting place’. ... [more]
Poverelli Italian
Means "poor (person)" in Italian, given to foundlings and orphans.
Preci Italian
Italian origin. Native spelling is Preçi.
Preda Italian
Derived from the first name Prato, meaning "field, meadow".
Preve Italian
Derives from the Latin "presbyter" with the meaning of "Older". Abundant in the Piedmont region.
Preve Italian
From Greek "πρεσβύτερος" (presbyteros), via Latin "presbyter" with the meaning of "The Old One".... [more]
Primavera Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "spring (the season)" in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Príncipe Italian, Spanish
From principe "prince, heir" (Latin princeps, genitive principis, from primus "first" and capere "to take"), applied probably as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or for someone in the service of a prince.
Priore Italian
from Italian priore "prior" either a nickname or occupational name which probably most often originated as a metonymic occupational name for a servant of a prior or some important lay dignitary... [more]
Prisco Italian
From the given name Prisco
Procida Italian
Habitational name from Procida, one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy.
Procopio Italian
Italian (Calabria) and Greek (Prokopios): from the personal name Procopio, Greek Prokopios, from pro ‘before’, ‘in front’ + kopē ‘cut’, actually an omen name meaning ‘success’, ‘prosperity’ but as a Church name taken to mean ‘pioneer’ as it was the name of the first victim of Diocletian's persecutions in Palestine in AD 303... [more]
Proia Italian
From the name of a place in Italy. The meaning is uncertain, but it might be derived from Greek πρωία (proía) "morning".
Proietti Italian
From Latin proiecto "abandoned, thrown away", given to foundlings and children abandoned at orphanages. The name may have been taken from la ruota dei proietti, or "foundling wheel", that some orphanages and religious institutes in Italy installed for infants to be anonymously abandoned in.
Prometta Italian
Promise (prometto), feminine.
Pucci Italian
Patronymic derived from the medieval given name Puccio.
Puddu Italian
From Sardinian puddu "chicken" (compare Podda).
Pugina Italian
Most likely derived from the feminine form of the Italian word pugno which means "fist".
Puglia Italian
habitational name from Apulia (Italian Puglia) in southeastern Italy. Variant of Pugliese.
Puglisi Sicilian
Southern Italian variant of Pugliese.
Pugno Italian
The Italian family name Pugno is considered by scholars to be of nickname origin. While the majority of surnames that are derived from a sobriquet or nickname reveal to us some aspect of the physical appearance of the initial bearer of the name or may allude to a characteristic of this person, other nickname family names make reference to a particular piece of clothing or favorite article or indeed a favorite color of the bearer of the name... [more]
Pulcifer Italian (Anglicized, Rare)
Possibly a variant of the surname Pulsipher.
Puleo Sicilian
origin- common name found in Palermo in Scicily
Pulsipher Italian (Anglicized)
from the nickname meaning "handsome man" of a member of the Italian Pulci family who settled in England around the time of the Norman conquest
Pulsoni Italian
Probably from Latin pulso "to beat, to strike".
Pupillo Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Pupillo.
Purpura Italian
A nickname for someone associated with the color purple.
Quagliarella Italian
From Italian quaglia meaning "quail".
Quaresima Italian
Means "lent" in Italian.
Quasimodo Italian (Rare)
From the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant quasi modo meaning "like the way" (see Quasimodo as a first name), possibly denoted somebody who was born or baptized in the first Sunday after Easter... [more]
Quattrociocchi Italian
From quattro ciocchi, "four logs of wood" in Italian.
Quercia Italian (Rare)
From the Latin quercus "oak".
Quinto Aragonese, Spanish, Catalan, Italian
Habitational surname for a person from a place called Quinto, for example in Zaragoza province. However, the high concentration of the surname in Alacant province suggests that, in some cases at least, it may derive from the personal name Quinto (from Latin Quintus denoting the fifth-born child or Catalan quinto "young soldier").... [more]
Quirini Italian
Derived from the given name Quirino
Racioppi Italian, Sicilian
Derived from Sicilian racioppu meaning "cluster of grapes", hence presumably a metonymic occupational name for someone who sold or produced grapes.
Rafaniello Italian
Probably from Italian ravanello "radish", probably given to someone who grew or sold radishes, or perhaps resembled one in some way.
Raffaele Italian
From the given name Raffaele.
Ragonesi Italian
Meaning: People Of Aragon
Ragosta Italian
from aragosta "lobster" used for a shell-fisherman or otherwise as a nickname for someone thought to resemble a lobster in some way.
Ragusa Italian
Habitational name from Ragusa in Sicily, or from the ancient city of Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia (Italian name Ragusa).
Ragusea Italian (Americanized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Ragusa. Adam Ragusea (1982-) is an American internet personality who makes videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture.
Raia Italian, Sicilian
Either a topographic name from Sicilian raia ‘smilax’ (a climbing shrub), or else derived from Sicilian raja meaning ‘ray’, or ‘skate’ (the fish), presumably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish or a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller.
Randazzo Italian
Habitational name from a place in Catania called Randazzo. Possibly from a derivative of the personal name Rando.
Raniero Italian
From the given name Raniero
Rapino Italian
From the name of two municipalities in Abruzzo, Italy. It could also be a nickname for a barber, derived from Italian rapare meaning "to crop, to shave, to scalp".
Rapinoe Italian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Rapino. American former soccer player Megan Rapinoe (1985-) bears this name.
Rappa Italian, Sicilian
from Sicilian rappa meaning ‘bunch, cluster’ or Italian rappa meaning ‘lock, quiff’, which was presumably applied as a nickname with reference to someone’s hair.
Rassi Italian
Comes from the Italian rosso, meaning "red".
Rau Italian
From a local variant of the personal name Rao, an old form of Ralph.
Reale Italian
From reale "royal", either an occupational name for someone in the service of a king or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal manner.
Reali Italian
Variant of the surname Reale, which stems from reale "royal", either a name for someone in the service of a royal or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal, aristocratic manner.
Rebuffo Italian
Possibly from the medieval given names Rebuffo or Robufus. Alternately, may derive from a nickname based on rabuffo "rebuke, scold".
Recchia Italian
Nickname from a reduced form of orecchia "ear".
Recchio Italian
Probably a shortened form of orecchio "ear".
Reginatto Italian
nato means "born" in italian... [more]
Remigio Italian, Spanish
From the given name Remigio
Remini Italian
Famous bearer: Actress and Scientology critic Leah Remini.
Renardo Italian
Italian variant of Reynold
Renda Italian
Possibly a derivative of Lorenzo.
Renna Italian
Variant of Renda.
Restivo Italian
From an Italian nickname derived from the dialectal word restivu meaning "uncommunicative, reserved".
Ricardo Italian, Spanish
From the given name Ricardo
Riccardo Italian
From the given name Riccardo
Ricciardi Italian
From the given name Riccardo.
Riccio Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly". This was originally a nickname for someone with curly hair.
Ricer Italian
means "search " in italian
Richie English (Rare), Italian
Diminutive form of Richard. It could also have been a nickname for one who was rich or wealthy, or, in Italy, a variant of Ricci... [more]
Righetti Italian
Means "son of Righetto" a pet form of the personal name Rigo.
Rigo Italian, Catalan
From the given name Rigo a short of any of the given names Rigoberto, Arrigo, and Federigo.
Rigoldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rigo, a short form of various names.
Rigoli Italian
Derived from the given name Rigo, a short form of various names.
Riguccini Italian
Derived from the given name Riguccio.
Riina Sicilian
Derived from Sicilian rijina meaning "queen".
Rinato Italian
means "reborn" in italian
Rino Italian
From the given name Rino.
Rinomato Italian
Derived from Italian rinomato meaning "renowned", "famous", and "well-known". A known bearer is the Canadian television host Sandra Rinomato.
Riola Italian
Regional variant of Riolo.
Ripamonti Italian
From ripa "bank, shore" and monte "mountain".
Rispoli Italian
A patronymic from a derivative of the given name Rispo, which is probably of Germanic origin. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Ruspoli, which is of unknown origin.
Rita Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan
From the female personal name Rita, a reduced form of MargharitaMargaret’, chosen in particular in honor of a 15th-century Italian saint who bore the name in this form.
Ritacco Italian
Probably a derivative of Rito, a masculinized form of the female personal name Rita.
Rivabella Italian
Derived from the Italian word riva meaning "bank (shore, riverbank, lakebank)" (from Latin ripa) and bella meaning "beautiful"... [more]
Rizza Italian
Variant of Rizzo.
Rizzotti Italian
Variant of 'Rizzo', which means 'curly haired'
Rizzuto Italian
From Sicilian rizzutu "curly-haired".
Roascio Italian (Rare)
Derived from Roascio, the name of a municipality in the province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of Italy. The meaning of the municipality's name is uncertain, but since it is located in Piedmont and known as Roass in the Piedmontese language, the etymological origin of the name is most likely Piedmontese... [more]
Roasio Italian
This surname originates from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is most likely derived from Roasio, which is the name of a municipality in that same region. The meaning of the municipality's name is uncertain, but since it is located in Piedmont and known as Roaso in the Piedmontese language, the etymological origin of the name is most likely Piedmontese... [more]
Roberti Italian
Derived from the given name Roberto.
Rodia Italian
Habitational name from Rodia, a locality in Messina, Sicily.
Rodino Italian
Possibly from the medieval Latin name Rodinus, or Germanic Hrodhari, from hroþi "fame, glory" and Hari "battle".
Romana Catalan, French, Italian, Polish, English (Rare), German, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
From the feminine form of the Latin personal name Romanus, which originally meant "Roman".
Romani Italian
Patronymic or plural form of the personal name Romano.
Romeo Italian
From the given name Romeo.
Romie Italian
From a diminutive of Roman or its derivative names.
Ronchetto Italian
Italian: diminutive from a variant of Ronco .
Rondelli Italian, English, French
From the medieval name "Rondello" derived from French "rondel" meaning "go around, round" or "rondel", a French old nickname for a round, plump man.
Roppolo Italian
Perhaps a derivative of Roppo, a given name of Germanic origin.
Rosano Italian
rosa meaning pink. Could also be indicative of a location known for or possessing roses.
Rosati Italian
Variant of Rosato.
Rosi Greek, Italian
Greek: Metronymic from the female personal name Rosa 1, or alternatively a variant of Rosso.... [more]
Rossetti Italian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rossetto (see Rosetto).