SURNAMES IN ITALY

Bassa

This form is an altered form of the surname Bascio.

Origin and meaning

Surname that is one of the variants of Basso, all these forms (Bassa, Bassi, Bassis, Bascio, Basciu, Lo Basso) deriving from the medieval nickname basso, which indicated a person of short stature but also stocky, stout. In the Sicilian dialect basciu (CT-ME), and also vasciu (RG-SR), translates as "short".

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Surname present in around 15 Italian comuni, some in Sicily (largely) and others in Lombardy, Liguria, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. In Sicily it is spread in the province of Trapani (Campobello di Mazara, Mazara del Vallo, Partanna, Salaparuta, Trapani), in the Enna area (Regalbuto) and in the Syracuse area

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

The 6 recorded variants show how a single group of related surnames evolved according to geographic area, historical period, and dialect.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.