Americanized Italian Surnames: How Italian Names Changed in America
During the Age of Mass Migration (c. 1880–1920), researchers comparing Italian surnames in Argentina and the United States found a striking difference: in Argentina, orthographic discrepancies were far more frequent, with the same surname often appearing in several different forms across official documents due to phonetic adaptation to Spanish and inconsistent record-keeping. In contrast, in the United States the myth of systematic “name mutilation” at Ellis Island has been largely debunked; while some surnames were anglicized or slightly altered, overall they were recorded more consistently and standardized more quickly than in Argentina. 1
Explore Italian Surnames and Their Variants
Many Italian surnames that arrived in the United States underwent spelling changes, translations, or phonetic adaptations. If you are researching your family history, you can explore our growing Italian surname dictionary to discover surname meanings, origins, variants, regional distribution, and historical references.
The Anglicization of Italian Surnames in the United States
According Joseph G. Fucilla, in his classic study The Anglicization of Italian Surnames in the United States (1943), documented the processes by which thousands of Italian family names were modified after migration. Contrary to the popular myth of systematic “name mutilation” at Ellis Island, the changes were not imposed arbitrarily by officials but resulted from a gradual process of linguistic adaptation, social integration, and cultural accommodation.
While the majority of surnames were recorded fairly faithfully, pressures from schooling, community use, intermarriage, and the dominant English linguistic environment led many families to alter, simplify, or translate their surnames. Fucilla identified six main categories of change, which together explain the great variety of Anglicized forms. 2
- Translations
Many Italian surnames were directly translated into English, especially when they derived from given names, occupations, or common words.
- From baptismal names:
- With prepositions and articles (sometimes retained, sometimes dropped): Some of these surnames lost the preposition di, de or the article la when the change is made, but, in general, where these particles are a part of the original they are usually retained intact.
- Di Giorgio → De George
- De Giovanni → De John
- De Marco → De Mark
- De Clemente → De Clements
- De Michele → De Michaels
- De Pietro → De Peters
- Other literal renderings: In addition to the translation, these surnames take on an s in imitation of the possessive ending so common in English and German patronymics
- From nicknames: Surnames derived from nicknames that were translated.
- Bevilacqua → Drinkwater
- Bianco → White
- Piccolo → Little
- Scaramuccia → Scaramouche
- Vinciguerra → Winwar
- From occupations: as well as surnames derived from professions or occupations
- From place names: Translations of surnames derived from names of geographical places are very frequent:
- Occasional curious mistranslations: Occasionally, it is possible to find surnames that look like translations but have no connection to their originals except in spelling or sound:
- Dropping of Final Vowels
At times, in addition to the translation, this type take on an s in imitation of the possessive ending so common in English and German patronymics:
- Bacigalupo –> Bacigalup
- Dirienzi –> Dirienz
- De Biasi –> De Bias
- De Gustanzi –> De Gustanz
- Occhigrossi –> Occhigross
- and hundreds of others
This is in accordance with one of the most characteristic word features of the English language, the consonantal ending. In this case the English themselves long ago set up models by their treatment of the names of the great Italian cities — Milan, Turin, Venice, the names of great Italian writers, Petrarch, Machiavel, Guicciardin, and names which were long ago transplanted on English soil, such as Jessup and Tolliver which derive from Giuseppe and Tagliaferro.
Some names with consonantal endings tend to follow the model furnished by a group of English names in -ell, -el, such as Bartell, Bartel, Pennell, Purcell, Terrell, Terrel.
- Battistelli –> Battistell
- Bertelli –> Bertell
- Capparell –> Capparelli
- Lucarel –> Lucarelli
- Borrelli –> Borrell
The addition of a consonant to a name ending in a vowel is extremely rare; Fucilla found it in only three instances:
- Grecol –> Greco
- Matrangol –> Matrango
- Garofolow –> Garofolo
Something of a freak is Johngrass, the first part of which is a translation and the second drops its final vowel. Not so long ago this cognomen was Giangrasso.
Research Tip
If your Italian surname appears in American records with a different spelling, search for phonetic variants, translated forms, and surnames with dropped final vowels. Many Italian-American families used multiple surname forms across generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Ellis Island change Italian surnames?
In most cases, no…
Why were Italian surnames Americanized?
Many immigrants adapted their surnames…