SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Alari

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni and Surnames in Italy differ on the origin of the surname.

Rossoni puts forward two hypotheses. On the one hand, it could derive from the fact that the founders of the lineage were equites alarii, that is, members of the Roman cavalry formations that made up the wings of the attacking front, mentioned in the Annals of Tacitus. On the other, he considers possible a derivation from the medieval name Alarius, an alteration of Hilarius, documented in a deed of the year 1096.

It is considered, on the other hand, to be an infrequent anthroponymic surname, derived from the Lombard name Alari, literally "the whole army".

Variants

Geographic distribution: Area of Bergamo and Rome (Alari); area of Turin (Alaria); Rome, Naples, Trani (Bari), Cassano allo Ionio (Cosenza), Palermo, Caltagirone (Catania), Niscemi and Gela (Nisseno) (Alario)

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

Comparative analysis based on 2 authors: where they agree, the hypothesis is strengthened; where they differ, the alternative interpretations are presented.

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.