Italian names are used in Italy and other Italian-speaking regions such as southern Switzerland. See also about Italian names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
MonacoItalian Nickname for someone of monkish habits or appearance, or an occupational name for a servant employed at a monastery, from Italian monaco "monk" (from Greek monachos "monk", "solitary").
MonetaItalian Possibly originating from a nickname given to those who lived near a temple dedicated to Juno Moneta. A famous bearer of this surname is Nobel Prize for Peace recipient Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (1833–1918).
MonetaItalian from moneta "money" probably applied as either a nickname for a rich man or as a metonymic occupational name for a moneyer or money lender.
MonopoliItalian Italian: habitational name from a place called Monopoli in Bari province from Greek monē polis ‘single town’.
MontalbanoItalian Habitational name from Montalbano di Elicona in northeastern Sicily (earlier simply Montalbano), Montalbano Jonico (Matera province), or the district of Montalbano in Fasano, Brindisi.
MontaleItalian From Latin mons ("mountain"), this surname was originally given as a nickname to people who lived on hills and mountains. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet and writer Eugenio Montale (1896-1981), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1975.
MontaltoItalian, Portuguese Habitational name from any of various places called Montalto or Montaldo especially Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza province in Italy or from a place in Portugal called Montalto from monte "hill" and alto "high" (from Latin altus).
MontalvoPortuguese, Spanish, Italian Montalvo is a habitational Portuguese and Spanish surname that originated in the medieval period. It comes from the Spanish words monte, meaning "mount", and albo, meaning "white". The name was often given to families who lived near or on a white mountain or hill, and can be interpreted as "white mountain".
MontapertoItalian My father tells me this name means "open mountain." It seems to have come from a small area around Agrigento in Sicily, Italy.
MontecalvoItalian Habitational name from any of various places called Montecalvo ("bald mountain") especially Montecalvo Irpino in Avellino province, from the elements monte "mountain" and calvo "bald".
MontefioreItalian, Jewish Derived from Montefiore, which is the name of several places in Italy. For example, there is Castle Montefiore in the town of Recanati (province of Macerata), the municipality of Montefiore Conca (province of Rimini) and the municipality of Montefiore dell'Aso (province of Ascoli Piceno)... [more]
MonteleoneItalian From various place names, meaning "mountain lion", or "mountain of the lion".
MontesanoItalian From Italian monte meaning "mountain" and sano meaning "healthy".
MonteverdeItalian Habitational name from any of various places called Monteverde, for example in Avellino province, from monte meaning "mountain" + verde meaning "green".
MonteverdiItalian Derived from Italian monte meaning "mountain" and verdi meaning "green"; literally means "green mountain".
MontoneItalian nickname from montone "ram" (from Medieval Latin multo genitive multonis). Or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Montone ("big mountain").
MontoroSpanish, Italian A Spanish habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular those in Córdoba or Teruel provinces. Italian habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular Montoro Inferiore and Montoro Superiore in Avellino province.
MonzoItalian Possibly a variant of Monsu, which may be an occupational name for a cook, Calabrian munsu, or a nickname or title from Milanese monsu ‘sir’, ‘lord’, ‘gentleman’.
MorabitoItalian Ultimately from Arabic مُرَابِط (murabit) "holy man, one who preaches in the street; soldier stationed in an outpost", from which comes Sicilian murabitu "moderate, sober" and murabbiu "teetotal".
MoreschiItalian Nickname for a dark-skinned person, derived from the Medieval Latin word moro, actually from the Latin Maurus, meaning, "dark-skinned".
MoscatelliItalian The name Moscatelli has its origins in a type of grape called Moscatel. This grape has its origin in ancient Egypt or Greece, but it was in Italy that it became famous. Here the farmers that planted the grape became known as the Moscatelli.
MoscatoItalian Variant of the personal name Muscato, also Americanized spelling of Greek Moskatos, a metonymic occupational name for a grower of muscat grapes.
MoseleItalian, German (Austrian) This surname is to be found in north-eastern Italy, more specifically in the Vicenza and Verona provinces. Families with this name are certain to be originally from the mountain town of Asiago, situated on a plateau north of Vicenza and now a well-known skiing resort... [more]
NegroItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (continuation of Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a dark complexion, someone who wore dark clothes, someone who worked a job in the night, or was otherwise associated with the night.
NegronSpanish, Italian This surname is a most likely variant of the word and name Negro.
NocitoItalian from Latin nucetum (Italian noceto) "walnut orchard" applied as either a topographic name for someone who lived by such a place or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in one.
NovelloItalian From the nickname and personal name Novello, from Italian meaning 'new, young'. A famous bearer of this name is Welsh actor and musician Ivor Novello (1893-1951).
NoviItalian Derived from Italian novello and ultimately derived from Latin novellus meaning "new". "Novi" also means "new" in several Slavic languages.
NurchisItalian Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.
OlivaItalian, Spanish Of uncertain origin: derived either from a nickname to those who picked, worked with or sold olives, or from the given name Oliva.
OlivoItalian, Spanish Topographic name from olivo "olive tree" or occupational name for someone who sold olives. Or from the given name Olivo given to someone born on Palm Sunday.
OppedisanoItalian Italian: habitational name for someone from Oppido Mamertino in Reggio Calabria, so named from Latin oppidum ‘fortified place’, ‘stronghold’. The original settlement was destroyed by an earthquake in 1783 ; it was rebuilt on a site further south.
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OrruItalian From Sardinian orrù "bramble", itself from Latin rubus "bramble, blackberry bush".
OrsiItalian Patronymic or plural form of Orso. It may also be an Italianized form of Slovenian Uršic, metronymic from the female personal name Urša, short form of Uršula (Latin Ursula), or a patronymic from the male personal name Urh, Slovenian vernacular form of Ulrik, German Udalrich
OrtolanoItalian, Spanish occupational name for a cultivator or seller of fruit and vegetables ortolano "gardener" from a derivative of orto "vegetable garden" (from Latin hortus "garden"). The term was also used in the medieval period to denote both a cleric with a fervant devotion to pastoral work and a rough or uncouth person and in some instances may have been applied as a nickname in either sense... [more]
PalermoItalian From the name of the capital city in Sicily.
PalladioItalian Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. He designed churches and palaces, but he was best known for his country houses and villas. The architectural treatise, The Four Books of Architecture, summarizes his teachings... [more]
PallaviciniItalian Near the pales; and they carry a palisade in their Arms.
PallominyItalian Old surname first used in northern Italy,was derived from the old latin word "palominus", used to refer to a yellowish horse. The lastname Pallominy, originally spelled "Pallomini", was used to denote a heard of those horses in the medieval Italy ( circa 1350 AD), more especifically in the city of Florence and its surroundings.
PalmaSpanish, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Italian Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, and southern Italian: habitational name from any of various places named or named with Palma, from Latin palma ‘palm’. ... [more]
PalmeroItalian The Palmero family lived in the territory of Palma, which is in Campania, in the province of Naples. The surname Palma was also a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Palma, which was common in medieval times... [more]
PalmieriItalian Derived from Italian palmiere meaning "pilgrim".
PampoItalian 1 Italian: from a short form of Alampo, from the Greek personal name Eulampios, adjectival derivative of eulampēs ‘most splendid’.... [more]
PanareseItalian habitational name for someone from a place called Panaro (from Latin panarium "bread basket") for example in Siracusa province Sicily or from Panareo in Salento from an adjectival form of the place names.
PanaroItalian metonymic occupational name for a baker, from Latin panarium ‘bread basket’.
PancieraItalian from panciera denoting the piece of the armor covering the stomach (from pancia "belly paunch") perhaps used for an armorer or for someone with a large paunch.
PancioneItalian Means "fat person, paunch, big belly" in Italian.
PancorvoItalian A famous Spanish cave, located in Burgos, where the arabs hid from Spanierds.
PanepintoItalian Derived from the word "pane" meaning "bread" in Italian and "pinto" meaning "painted", "flecked", or possibly "bad". The name is generally given to a baker.
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PanozzoItalian Venice, one of the oldest and most beautiful regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, and of a family that bears the surname Panozzo. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for them to adopt a second name to identify themselves, as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [more]
PanzeriItalian Either a nickname from Italian pancia "belly, paunch", referring to someone with a prominent belly (see Panza), or an occupational name for someone who manufactured girdles and armour, from panciere "corset, girdle; paunce (armour covering the belly)", ultimately from the same root.
PanzicaItalian From Sicilian panzicu "pot-bellied, paunch".
PapaccioItalian The root papa comes from the Greek language, whose Italian translation is literally "priest", but during centuries this was also a term of respect, and this is due to the active influence of Greek and Byzantine culture in southern Italy and specifically in Naples... [more]
PappalardoItalian Means "glutton, hypocrite" in Italian, originally a nickname for a gluttonous person or someone who pretended to observe religious fasts while eating meat in secret.
ParadisoItalian from paradiso "Paradise" applied as a topographic name for someone living in a verdant place where flowers grew in abundance or near a pleasure garden or from the same word used as a personal name recorded in the form Paradisus in Lazio in 108
ParatoreItalian Derived from Italian paratore meaning "decorator, fuller", which refers to a craftsman who fulls coarse cloth. In other words: this surname is the Italian cognate of the English surname Fuller... [more]
ParlettiItalian (Rare) It is a surname of Italian origin, believed to mean "talkative", although few have this surname. Approximately 11 people bear this surname.
PassiItalian, Medieval Italian The surname Passi was first found in the town of Mugello, with the Passerini family who moved south to Florence in the 10th century. Terranova dei Passerini is a comune in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southeast of Milan.... [more]
PaternoItalian Italian surname of unknown origin, most likely comes from Paternò in Sicily. Notable individuals include Joe Paterno (1926 - 2012), head coach at Pennsylvania State University until 2011.
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PaveseItalian Means "one from Pavia". Pavia is an Italian town located in Lombardy, northern Italy. It can also derive from pavese, a kind of big, Medieval shield.... [more]
PellicanoItalian, Sicilian nickname from dialect pelecanòpelicanò "woodpecker" from modern Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).