Origin and meaning of Italian surnames
Origin of Italian Surnames
“Dimmi come ti chiami e ti dirò chi sei” (Tell me your name and I’ll tell you who you are)
The cognome (surname) speaks of an ancestor who had a name or nickname, practiced a trade, or came from a certain locality. The surname is, above all, our past.
For the study of the origin of Italian surnames, it is important to understand how the words nome (name) and cognome (surname) originated. In Latin, the Nomen was the identifier of the person, while the Cognomen was the identifier of the Gens to which they belonged.
The Gens was more than just a family as we understand it today; it was rather a clan, the whole group of those who descended from a common origin. It was a broad kinship group; within the gens, there were various families, understood not only as the kinship of parents and children but also in a broader sense, including all those under the authority of the head of the family. The Romans felt the need to add a distinctive element to identify two different people who had the same Nomen and belonged to the same Gens. They adopted the Cognomen or nicknames that referred to physical characteristics, hair color, skin fairness, deeds that characterized their existence, military campaigns they carried out, or their place of origin, etc.
The cognome
The Italian word cognome (surname) derives from the Latin cun nomine, meaning ‘something that accompanies the name’. The origin of the surname as a family identifier dates back to the ancient Romans: in archaic times, only the name was used, but in the last centuries of the Republic, the use of the tria nomina was established. The tria nomina was a set of three names, for example: Marco Fulvio Nobiliore, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Publio Ovidio Nasone. This practice was lost in the early Middle Ages, and individuals were known by their baptismal name, a single personal name, sometimes with affectionate connotations in the family, sometimes referring to the characteristics of the person or place of origin, or parentage.
With Christianity
Christianity and the barbarian invasions influenced the appearance of Italian surnames by introducing new names and expanding the options for identifying people. However, between the 10th and 11th centuries, due to population growth, it became more difficult to distinguish between people with the same name. This led to the need to add something more to differentiate individuals and recognize those who shared the same family line. Thus, the modern surname emerged, which could derive from the father’s or mother’s name, a nickname, the place of origin, a trade, or profession.
A key moment in this process was the Council of Trent, which in 1564 decreed that all baptisms must be recorded with names and surnames to prevent marriages between blood relatives or spiritual relatives. The council also mandated the use of a second name or surname, making nicknames hereditary. The influence of regional dialects had a great impact on the formation and diversification of Italian surnames, creating an almost unique feature in Italy. This phenomenon is known as cognominizzazione.
Fascism and the Origin of Italian Surnames
Historical events over time have also left their mark. During fascism, many surnames established in dialects were completely “butchered” in attempts to Italianize them. With the advent of fascism, modifications to surnames occurred; Italians were encouraged to use new terms, provided they were “genuinely Italian,” to replace those of foreign origin or that appeared to be so. Anything foreign was effectively seen as hostile, enemy-like, and unpatriotic. Even many surnames ending in a consonant were given a final vowel.
Classification of Italian Surnames
There is a very general classification of surnames: it consists of differentiating surnames into five groups:
- Patronymics (derived from the father’s name)
- Toponymics (derived from the name of a place)
- Derived from trades and professions
- Surnames derived from nicknames
- Surnames given to orphans or abandoned children
However, it is important to consider two things:
- The surname does not necessarily reveal the exact place of origin. Therefore, it is more accurate to say “the surname coincides with…” rather than “the surname derives from…”.
- The same surname can belong to one or more categories at the same time.