Surname Cimbali
Origin and meaning
G. P. Holmes derives this surname from the Sicilian cìmbalu, "cembalo", that is, the cymbal, a percussion musical instrument.
V. Blunda traces the form to the Greek root cỳmbalos, with the same meaning, and proposes that the surname arose as a professional nickname applied to the one who played that instrument at celebrations. Blunda also notes its parallelism with the surname Cembalo, which shares the same Greek root.
Geographic distribution: Sicily
📍 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:
- Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it
- Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it