SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Algisi

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname was formed from a personal name of Germanic origin, whose second element is gis ("arrow, dart").

V. Blunda, for the Sicilian variant, derives it from the personal name Alagis ("arrow of all" or "common dart"), linked to the roots ala ("all") and gis ("arrow, dart"). He notes that throwing weapons were an essential element of Lombard weaponry, complementing the spear and the sword in Germanic military tactics. He adds that as a surname it is preserved in areas of Lombard imprint in northern and central Italy.

It is considered, along a similar line but with a different first element, to be a recurrent anthroponymic surname, derived from Adalgis ("noble dart"). Chigioni is recorded as a similar surname.

Geographic distribution: Sicily

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

This entry brings together what 2 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

Sources

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

  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it