SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Acquati

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname is related to the term "water", either as a place name or as a trade.

E. Rossoni derives it from the name of the village of Acquate, today a district of Lecco.

The surname is considered fairly well known throughout Italy, although Acqua is typically northern. The origin is linked to two possible roots: place names containing the word "water" or "waters", or the trade of water distributor or seller (acquaiolo, acquarolo).

💡 The surname Acquati also appears as variant of the surname Acqua in other studies consulted in this project.

Geographic distribution: Area of Milan and Lecco

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

Drawing on 2 authors, this entry presents the different hypotheses about the origin of the surname, avoiding a single oversimplified explanation.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.