Surname Aliffi
Origin and meaning
The authors agree that the surname is of Arabic origin.
E. Rossoni suggests that it could derive from an abbreviated form of the Arabic name Khalifa ("the caliph"). He also considers possible a connection with the Arabic term alif, equivalent to the Greek alpha and the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.
V. Blunda, on the other hand, derives it from the Arabic etymon ‘alīf ("friend, companion"), a legacy of the Emirate of Sicily (827–1091).
Geographic distribution: Syracuse and the Syracuse area, Catania
📍 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
- Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it