The name Antonio, one of the most widespread in Italy, has generated a great variety of surnames over time. These forms arose by patronymic route, with regional suffixes, phonetic modifications, prefixes or combinations with other names. To facilitate their analysis, we organise the surnames into different groups according to their morphological structure or their dialectal evolution.

According to Angelo Bongioanni, Antonio is an old Latin name (Antonius), belonging to a Roman gens, of uncertain etymology. Its enormous diffusion in Italy is explained in large part by the devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua (13th century, celebrated on 13 June) and to Saint Anthony Abbot (17 January), key figures in popular religious tradition.

Forms with A and prefixes

This group brings together the surnames that preserve the form closest to the original name Antonio, as well as those formed by means of prefixes or combinations.

• Antonelli, Antonini, Antonello, Antonioli, Antonucci: suffixes -elli, -ini, -ello, -oli, -ucci, very widespread in the centre and north.
• Antonazzi, Antonazzo, Antoniazzi: suffixes in -azzi / -azzo, typical of the north (Lombardy, Veneto).
• Antonicelli, Antonicello: southern forms.
• D'Antonio, Di Antonio, De Antonio: patronymics with prefixes, predominant in the south ("son of Antonio").
• Antonangeli, Antongiovanni: combinations with other names.

In some cases, an alternative derivation from other names is not even ruled out, such as Ottone, which shows the complexity of these formations.

But the most interesting phenomenon does not occur in the full forms, but when the name Antonio begins to shorten and transform in everyday use... giving rise to derived surnames that begin with the letter N or with the letter T.