SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Arcudi

Origin and meaning

G. Rohlfs classifies it as a surname of Greek-Byzantine origin, derived from the Greek ἀρκούδι, meaning "bear", and links it to the modern Greek surname Arkudis. It is documented in the Cosenza area, specifically in Cariati, and in the Reggio Calabria area, in San Lorenzo, with presence also in Sicily. Rohlfs places it in the same onomastic family as the surnames Arcorace and Arcoraci.

P. Durante also considers it of Greek origin, although he attributes it to a personal name, without specifying the etymon or the meaning.

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

Geographic distribution: Calabria, Salento

📍 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:

  • Rohlfs, G. (1974). Dizionario onomastico e toponomastico della Calabria: Prontuario filologico-geografico della Calabria. Longo Editore. Rohlfs, G. (1984). Dizionario storico dei cognomi della Sicilia orientale: Repertorio storico-etimologico. Centro di Studi Filologici e Linguistici Siciliani.
  • Bergamo, N. (2013, May 21). Impero Romano d'Oriente 330–1453 la sua storia. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.imperobizantino.it/