SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Arnoldi

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname was formed from the Germanic name Arnwald (Arnald), composed of arn ("eagle") and wald ("government"), meaning "powerful as an eagle".

It is also considered to be a widespread anthroponymic surname. Another surname, such as Arnetti, would derive instead from the medieval name, also Germanic, Arno, likewise referring to the bird of prey.

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

Variants

Geographic distribution: Arnoldi: Lombardy (Bergamo area) and Trento area (Trento, Bresimo). Arnoldo: Venice area, Belluno area (Forno di Zoldo, Belluno, Zoldo Alto) and Trento area (Revò, Levico Terme)

📍 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.