Origin and meaning of the most common Italian surnames in U.S.

The first wave was mainly Northern Italian refugees from the wars that accompanied the struggle for Italian unification. Brazil & Argentina was their preferred destination but by 1870, there were about 25,000 Italian immigrants in the U.S.

Southern Italians began fleeing poverty after the 1880s. Between 1880 and 1924, more than four million Southern Italians immigrated to the United States. These immigrants, a mix of both artisans and peasants, came from all regions of Italy, but the largest numbers were from the mezzogiorno–Southern Italy representing such regions as Calabria, Campania, Abruzzi, Molise, Apulia and Sicily.

Most common Italian surnames in the Unites States

Many of these surnames, although they originated in the South of Italy, are currently found throughout the country, reflecting the emigration of people from the South to the North.