Surname Cantafio
Origin and meaning
E. Rossoni suggests that the surname could derive from a dialectal nickname linked to a trade, and places it in Calabria.
V. Blunda, on the other hand, derives it from the Greek chandàcion, a term that designates a ravine or deep ditch of ground. According to this interpretation, the surname originated in Sicily as a nickname applied to the ancestor for his residence near that type of geographical feature, and then became a family surname.
Geographic distribution: Calabria
📍 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
- Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it