SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Ballotta

Origin and meaning

According to E. Rossoni, this surname and its variants could derive from the Gaulish name Ballot, originating from the term balo (torment, but also capable of provoking hatred). A derivation from nicknames related to dance is also possible.

According to V. Blunda, it is a Sicilian surname of dialectal origin, formed from a zoonymic nickname. It comes from the dialectal word baddòttula, meaning "weasel". As a surname it may have originated in a nickname applied to an agile and cunning person, a common motivation in Sicilian cognomens based on small predatory mammals, where the quality of the animal was metaphorically transferred to the bearer of the nickname.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Ballotta: Piacenza area and Modena and Bologna area, with three clusters in Sicily (Palermo, Augusta in the Syracuse area, Trapani). Ballotti: typical of the area between Modena, Bologna and Florence. Balotti: same sphere, with a cluster in the Grosseto area and upper Brescia. Balotta: Milan and Brescia area with presence in the Bologna area

📍 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