SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Castiglione

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname derives from place names distributed throughout Italy that bear the name Castiglione, among them Castiglione d'Adda, Castiglione d'Asti, Castiglione d'Olona and, in Sicily, Castiglione di Sicilia, a comune in the province of Catania. Both also agree that the ultimate etymon is the medieval Latin castellio, meaning "small castle".

F. Miranda specifies that the surname is an altered derivative of that Latin term and establishes correspondences with other languages: it is equivalent to the Spanish Castejón and the French Châtillon. He also notes that the surname is present in all the Italian regions and is especially frequent in Sicily, Campania, Lombardy, Calabria, Piedmont, Lazio, Puglia and Liguria. Within Sicily, it appears in all the provinces, with greater presence in the Catania, Trapani, Palermo, Caltanissetta and Agrigento areas.

G. P. Holmes does not add new etymological information, but highlights among the homonymous places Castiglione di Sicilia as the most relevant referent for the identification of the surname.

💡 The surname Castiglione also appears as altered form of the surname Castèlli in other studies consulted in this project.

Geographic distribution: Surname present in all the Italian regions (in more than 500 comuni) and very widespread in Sicily, Campania, Lombardy, Calabria, Piedmont, Lazio, Puglia and Liguria. In Sicily it is known in all the provinces with prevalence in Catania, Trapani, Palermo, Caltanissetta and Agrigento. In the Enna area it is recorded in the comuni of Centuripe, Catenanuova, Regalbuto, Leonforte, Troina, Pietraperzia, Barrafranca, Enna and Agira.

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

This entry brings together what 2 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

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.
  • Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it