SURNAMES IN ITALY

Del Piano

This form is a variant of the surname Piano.

Origin and meaning

E. De Felice and V. Blunda differ on the origin of the surname.

E. De Felice derives it from the place names Piano and Piani or Pian, Piana and Piane, Pianello and Pianelli, Pianetto, which with various determinations are distributed with great frequency throughout Italy. He also links it with the demonyms Pianese or Pianigiano, even in the generic sense of 'one who lives, who dwells on the plain'.

V. Blunda, on the other hand, for the Sicilian variant derives it from the word chiànu, with the meaning of 'quiet, measured', applied to a person of calm character and discreet manners. He considers the popular interpretation that associates it with the Italian piano ('flat') a false etymology. As a surname it could have originated in a nickname given to an individual of a placid bearing.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Italy; greater frequency for Piana in the North-West and Delle Piane in Liguria; Piàn and Pianon in Veneto; Pianese predominates in Campania; Pianigiani in Tuscany; Lo Piano and La Piana in Sicily

📍 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:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it