The surname Bartolomei belongs to a large family of surnames derived from the personal name Bartolomeo, one of the most widespread given names in medieval Italy. According to E. De Felice, the name became firmly established between the 10th and 11th centuries, particularly through Byzantine influence. It derives from the Latin Bartholomaeus, itself adapted from the Greek Bartholomâios, which ultimately comes from the Aramaic Bar Thalmay, meaning “son of Tolmai,” with bar meaning “son of” and Thalmay being a personal name.

The popularity of the name was greatly reinforced by the Christian tradition, as Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, identified in the Gospel of John with Nathanael. As a result, the name gave rise to numerous hereditary surnames throughout Italy.

According to E. De Felice, the surname group includes forms such as Bartolomei, Bartoli, Bartali, Bortoli, Bortolomei, and Vartolo, each reflecting regional phonetic and dialectal developments. Bartolomei is particularly common in northern Italy, while Bortoli and Bortolomei are characteristic of the Veneto and Emilia regions. Bartali is associated with Tuscany, Bartoli is widespread throughout the peninsula but especially common in Tuscany and Emilia, and Vartolo is found mainly in Calabria. In Venezia Giulia, additional variants developed under Slavic linguistic influence.

E. Rossoni agrees that these surnames derive directly or through affectionate and diminutive forms from Bartolomeo. He adds that the original Aramaic expression Bar Talmay may be interpreted as “son of Tolmai,” “son of the ploughman,” or, through association with the Greek name Ptolemaios, “son of the conqueror.”

Taken together, the various interpretations point to an ancient biblical and patronymic origin. The surname Bartolomei preserves the legacy of a name deeply rooted in Christian tradition and widely adopted throughout Italy since the Middle Ages.