SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Cordaro

Origin and meaning

F. Miranda notes that it is a specifically Sicilian surname, originated in a dialectal nickname, curdaru, linked to the trade of producer or seller of ropes, an activity probably exercised by the founding ancestors of the lineage. Miranda also gathers the Sicilian expression iri nnarreri comu lu curdaru, which means "to go from bad to worse".

For his part, G. P. Holmes relates the surname to medieval Latin, defining it simply as "rope-maker", which coincides in its semantic core with Miranda's proposal, although without the dialectal precision or the geographical anchoring that the latter provides.

The surname is spread throughout Sicily, with specific zones of greater concentration in the provinces of Catania, Caltanissetta, Messina, Palermo, Trapani and Enna.

Geographic distribution: Surname spread throughout Sicily, but with more consistent clusters in the Catania area (Catania, Sant'Agata Li Battiati, San Giovanni La Punta, Bronte, Paternò), Caltanissetta (Caltanissetta, Milena, Marianopoli, Serradifalco, San Cataldo), Messina (Messina, Saponara, Giardini Naxos, Scaletta Zanclea, Rometta, Villafranca Tirrena), Palermo (Palermo, Caccamo, San Giuseppe Jato, Prizzi, Vicari, Carini, Altavilla Milicia, Bagheria), Trapani (Trapani, Erice, Marsala, Castelvetrano) and the Enna area (in the comuni of Piazza Armerina, Valguarnera Caropepe and Enna). In Regalbuto, in the past there existed a Cordaro-Marraro family, from which comes Carmelo Cordaro, teacher and poet. Through the effect of the migratory flows of the past, Cordaro is also present in many Italian regions, such as Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, Calabria and Tuscany.

📍 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:

  • 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