CaccavaleItalian Possibly a combination of cacare "to shit" and vale "valley".
CacciatoreItalian Derived from Italian cacciatore meaning "hunter, huntsman", ultimately derived from cacciare meaning "to hunt".
CacioppoItalian, Sicilian Derived from Sicilian cacioppu meaning "dried tree trunk", presumably applied as a nickname for someone with wizened skin, or from caciopu meaning "short-sighted" (derived from Greek kakiopes, literally meaning "having bad eyes").
CadedduItalian From Sardinian cadeddu "puppy, whelp", ultimately from Latin catellus.
CalamariItalian From Latin calamarius "relating to a writing reed, ink pen", a name for a scribe, or perhaps a fisherman from the Italian descendant calamaro "squid, calamari".
CalandraItalian from calandra "skylark" (from Latin calandra) probably a nickname for someone with a fine singing voice.
CalassoItalian Possibly from the given name Galasso, or from the dialectical word cala "cove, inlet, creek".
CalcaterraItalian Nickname from calcare meaning "to tread", "to stamp" + terra meaning "land", "earth", "ground", probably denoting a short person, someone who walked close to the ground, or an energetic walker.
CaligiuriItalian Comes from the Greek words "kalos" meaning "beautiful" and "gheros" meaning "elderly," and was often given to children in the hopes that they would retain their beauty in their old age.
CalliariItalian (Latinized, Archaic) This is an Italian surname, in the north of Italy. Calliari is the result of the deformation of the graphically Calligari, where you can clearly see excision of the letter or character D, which is located in the middle of the surname... [more]
CamoranesiItalian Originally indicated a person from Camerano, a small town near the city of Ancona in central Italy. A famous bearer of this name is the Argentine-born Italian former soccer player Mauro Camoranesi (1976-).
CampagnaItalian Name for someone originally from any of various locations named Campagna, all derived from Latin Campania, itself from campus meaning "field".
CancroItalian Derived from Italian cancro "cancer". Probably an occupational name for a person who catches, cooks, sells crabs.
CandelaSpanish, Italian, Sicilian, Catalan Either an occupational name for a chandler (a candle maker or candle seller) or a nickname for a tall thin person, derived from candela meaning "candle" (from Latin candela).
CannarsaItalian Possibly means "dry throat", a joking nickname for someone who drinks too much.
CannavaroItalian Probably from a nickname used to refer to rope makers or hemp growers. This surname is most famously borne by brothers Fabio (1973–) and Paolo Cannavaro (1981–), former football players.
CannellaItalian Diminutive form of canna "cane, reed, pipe", possibly a nickname for a tall, thin person, or perhaps taken directly from cannella "cinnamon (spice)" as a metonymic name for a spice merchant.
CanosaItalian It derives from the toponym Canosa di puglia.
CantagalloItalian From the name of a town, or possibly a nickname meaning "singing rooster".
CantalupiItalian Denoting a person from Cantalupo, the name of several towns and counties near wooded areas where wolves could be heard. From Italian canta "singing" and lupo "wolf". ... [more]
CapecchiItalian Probably from Old Italian capecchio, either denoting a type of cheap batting and, by extension, upholsterers, who worked with it, or as a nickname for a person with bristly hair or beard.... [more]
CaprioItalian from Latin caprae ‘goats’ or possibly from Greek kapros "(wild) boar" and so a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd or swineherd or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a goat or boar.
CapuaItalian Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km (16 mi) north of Naples on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now.... [more]
CaputoItalian Derived from Latin caput meaning "head", used as a nickname for a big-headed or stubborn person.
CarabelliItalian Common surname in the Lombardy region of Italy.
CaraccioloItalian Famous bearer of this surname is Canadian-Italian singer Alessia Caracciolo (1996-).
CarafaItalian It could derive from toponyms such as Caraffa del Bianco in the province of Reggio Calabria or Caraffa in the province of Catanzaro.... [more]
CardoSpanish, Italian From cardo "thistle, cardoon" (from Latin carduus) either a topographic or occupational name for using wool carder thistles, or from the given name Cardo a short form of given names Accardo, Biancardo, or Riccardo.
CardoneItalian, Sicilian From Sicilian carduni "thistle, teasel, cardoon" possibly a topographic name but also could mean "rough, uncouth, stingy, or miserly".
CarducciItalian From Riccarduccio, an affectionate form of the given name Riccardo. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1906.
CaressaItalian Possibly derived from the medieval given name Caro meaning "dear, sweetheart, darling", itself from Latin carus "beloved"... [more]
CarganicoItalian Possibly from cargar, an Italic descendent of Latin carrico "to load", indicating someone who carried or loaded items for transport for a living.
CarmignaniItalian Denoted a person from Carmignano, a municipality in Tuscany, Italy. In some cases, it could instead derive from the Latin nomen Carminianus (see Carminius).
CarnigliaItalian Derived from the Latin word “carnem”, meaning “flesh”, and likely referred to a person who worked with meat or was a butcher. The surname may have also been adopted as a nickname for someone who was particularly robust or fleshy.
CaroliItalian Derived from the given name Carolus, the Latin form of Charles, or alternatively from a diminutive of Carus "dear, beloved".
CarosellaItalian From carosello "carousel, merry-go-round", possibly a nickname for a farmer, as a carousel was an allotment of grain collected by farmers. Also a type of jousting tournament.
CarotiItalian From Italian carota "carrot", probably referring to the bearer's hair colour.
CarpenitoItalian This surname derives from a person who had worked as a "carpenter".
CarreraSpanish, Italian Spanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road, carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin carraria (via), a derivative of carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.... [more]
CarucciItalian Derived from Medieval Latin names Carutius or Caruccius or from the Italian term caruccio composed by caro meaning "dear" with the endearment suffix -uccio.
CarulliItalian It should derive from the late Latin cognomen Carullus, a hypochoristic form of the more widespread cognomen Carus.... [more]
CasagrandeItalian Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casagrande or Casa Grande, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and grande meaning "big, large".
CasamonicaItalian (Rare) Derived from Italian casa meaning "house" with the suffix -monica which is taken from the name of Saint Monica. Casamonica is a relatively rare surname associated with a notorious Italian clan involved in organized crime and criminal activities... [more]
CasapiccolaItalian Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casapiccola or Casa Piccola, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and piccola meaning "small".
CasapietraItalian From Italian casa meaning "house" and pietra meaning "stone".
CasellaItalian From casa "house" (Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin"), perhaps originally denoting the occupier of the most distinguished house in a village. Italian chef Cesare Casella (1960 - ) is one such bearer of this name.
CasoItalian, Spanish Possibly derived from a short form of the given name Benincasa, or perhaps from Latin caseum "cheese" as an occupational name for a cheesemaker or shepherd... [more]
CasseseItalian From Arabic قِسِّيس (qissis) "priest", perhaps a nickname for someone who worked for or was related to a priest, or perhaps someone who was notably pious.
CastagnoItalian For someone who lived near a chestnut tree from castagno "chestnut" (from latin castanea). Variant of Castagna and Italian cognitive of Chastain.
CastigliaItalian A Regional name for someone from Castile in Spain. Castile was an independent kingdom between the 10th and 15th centuries, it formed the largest power in the Iberian peninsula. The name derives from the many castles in the region.
CastiglioneItalian Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Castiglione, derived from Italian castiglione meaning "castle, fortress".
CatapanoItalian Means "catapan, governor of a catepanate", ultimately from Byzantine Greek κατεπάνω (katepánō) "(the one) placed at the top, or the topmost".
CattanoSicilian (Rare) Meaning "captain," this name began as a nickname in the Medieval Ages, probably for someone who actually was a ship's captain, or perhaps for someone who acted in some way like a captain.
CavaItalian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese From cava ‘cave’, ‘cellar’ (from Latin cavea), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the wine cellars of a great house, a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a cave, or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word.
CavadentiItalian From Italian cava ("to extract, to pull out") and denti ("teeth"), an occupational name for a dentist.
CembrolaItalian My family is from St. Angelo, de Oliva, Naples, Italy
CenaItalian Derived from Latin meaning "dinner, meal, supper". Possibly an occupational name for a cook or a waiter. In an alternative representation, it could be given to someone who's known for hosting or being involved in meals or dinners, or may have given this surname to an illegitimate child who was not welcomed at the dinner table.
CentofantiItalian Means "a hundred soldiers on foot" in Italian, derived from Italian cento meaning "(a) hundred" and Italian fanti, which is the plural form of fante meaning "soldier, infantryman"... [more]
CentoreItalian from cento ore "hundred gold pieces" hence probably a nickname for a wealthy person.
CeraSpanish, Italian, Catalan, Sicilian Metonymic occupational name for a wax seller, derived from Latin cera meaning "wax". A famous bearer of this surname is Canadian actor and musician Michael Cera (1988-).
CerasuoloItalian Means "cherry-colored." Appears as a word in many Italian dictionaries, but may have origins in the Greek period of Naples, where it seems to have originated. There are at least two villages found with the name, the most notable being near Monte Cassino, where many Japanese-American soldiers won Medals of Honor or other awards for heroism during WW II... [more]
CerettiItalian (Tuscan), Medieval Italian (Tuscan) The surname Cerri is derived from the Italian word cerro, which means bitter or Turkey oak. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di", which signifies emigration from one place to another.... [more]
CeriseFrench, Italian Italian habitational name from La Cerise or Torrent-La Cerise placenames in Valle d'Aosta from French cerise "cherry"; and French occupational name from cerise "cherry" (from Latin cerasus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold cherries.
CernivaniItalian Probably an Italianized form of the Slovenian surname Černivan.