SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname D'Adda

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname D'Adda derives from the name of the river Adda or from some locality situated on its course. E. Rossoni specifies that the origin is located in the zone comprised between the provinces of Bergamo and Milan, and documents an early presence in Olgiate, where a Leone D'Adda already possessed great riches in 1356.

The first documentary mention of the surname is found in 1451, in an instrument by which Francesco Sforza exempted Antonio de Abdua and other members of the same family from the payment of taxes on goods situated in different localities of the zone. The Latinized form "de Abdua" corresponds to the river Adda, which confirms the toponymic link noted by Rossoni.

This family reached notable prominence in the old State of Milan: in 1538 several fiefs in the region were granted to it, and among its members stand out the marquis Giuseppe d'Adda, linked to the Palatine literary society of Milan, and the marquis Carlo d'Adda (1816–1900), a recognised patriot and central figure of the resistance against the Austrian domination.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Native of the zone between the province of Bergamo and that of Milan.

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

Drawing on 2 authors, this entry presents the different hypotheses about the origin of the surname, avoiding a single oversimplified explanation.

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
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.