Italian Municipalities That Changed Names or Disappeared

One of the most common challenges in Italian genealogy research is discovering that an ancestral town no longer exists under its original name. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, thousands of Italian municipalities were renamed, merged with neighboring towns, or suppressed altogether. Understanding these administrative changes is often essential for locating civil records, parish registers, military documents, and other historical sources.

Researchers frequently encounter references to municipalities that cannot be found on modern maps. In many cases, the town still exists under a different name, while in others it was incorporated into another municipality during administrative reorganizations.

Why Did Italian Municipalities Change Their Names?

After the Italian unification and during the first half of the XIX Century, various government decrees ordered the change of the name of some comuni to avoid confusion between homonymous places, in some cases and additional place name for those towns with the same name (e.g. about 13 Italian comuni are called Acquaviva) in other cases, a little variation was added to the name.

Italianization of Municipal Names During Fascism

The fascism imposed the Italianization of the names of those towns whose name were more similar to a French or German name rather than to an Italian one. After 1945 these places recovered their original names.

• Administrative Divisions of Italy and Their Importance for Genealogy Research
• Asking for vital records to towns which disappeared

Comuni Soppressi: Municipalities That Disappeared

There are some comuni which as time went by, were absorbed by a more important town. This happens as a consequence of urban development or the construction of roads which have made the communication and transfer of people easier. There may have been cases of one town being divided into two new ones.

The Suppression of Municipalities During the Fascist Era

But it was mainly after the First World War and during the Fascist era whose intention was to reduce the number of towns that many small comuni merged to become a new one. A series of decrees issued between 1923 and 1927 considerably reduced the number of comuni. Only in 1927 800 small comuni were suppressed without any criteria or previous information to their inhabitants. Only in 1934 a single criterion was applied which stipulated a minimum of 3,000 inhabitants to create a new comune.
This process was done in two ways: several comuni were unified into a new comune or a small comune was annexed to another neighbouring comune. There were also many separations into frazioni which became part of another comune.
After 1945 many comuni returned to their original status and others continued being merged.

How These Changes Affect Genealogy Research

Administrative changes can make genealogical research more difficult because historical records are often stored under the municipality that currently administers the area.

If an ancestral town cannot be found, researchers should consider the possibility that:

• The municipality changed its name.
• The municipality was suppressed and merged into another comune.
• The town became a frazione of a neighboring municipality.
• The municipality was transferred to a different province.

Identifying these changes can be the key to locating civil registration records, parish registers, military records, and cadastral documents.

To better understand how municipalities fit into Italy’s administrative structure, see our guide to Administrative Divisions of Italy and Their Importance for Genealogy Research.

Comuni which changed their names – Supressed comuni

Storia dei comuni – This site provides of a list of comuni which changed their names: stating the date in which the name was changed and its original name. It also provides information about the comuni which have been suppressed: when, to which comuni they were annexed or the name of the new comune. Finally, in the case of those comuni which were reorganized, it includes the date.

A brief explanation:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a comune soppresso?

A comune soppresso is a municipality that was abolished and either merged with another municipality or incorporated into a new administrative unit.

Why did Italian municipalities change their names?

Many municipalities changed their names after Italian unification to avoid confusion with towns that shared the same name. Others were renamed for political or administrative reasons.

Did Fascism change Italian place names?

Yes. During the Fascist era, many municipalities received Italianized names, particularly in border regions with Germanic or Slavic linguistic traditions.

Can a town disappear from modern maps?

Yes. Some municipalities were suppressed and absorbed into neighboring comuni, while others became frazioni and lost their independent administrative status.

How can I find records from a suppressed municipality?

Records are usually preserved by the municipality that inherited the territory or by the relevant State Archive. Identifying the successor comune is often the first step.