SURNAMES IN ITALY

Di Ballo

This form is a variant of the surname Ballo.

Origin and meaning

According to E. Rossoni, they derive, directly or through a patronymic form where the prefix Di- indicates "son of", from the Lombard or Germanic name Balo or Ballo, abbreviated forms of the Germanic name Balowulf or Ballowulf, meaning "bad wolf" or "fierce wolf".

According to V. Blunda, it is a Sicilian surname of Germanic root, derived from the personal name Balvu, a reduced form linked to the root bald (bold, daring) by phonetic evolution. The popular interpretation of the surname as the Italian noun ballo ("dance") is a false etymology: the cognomen belongs to the Lombard onomastic repertoire prior to the Romance loanword and preserves in the spelling with a double consonant the reinforced pronunciation peculiar to southern Italian.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Ballo: presence in northern Italy, Terni area, Naples area, Taranto area and Sicily (Palermo, Aragona in the Agrigento area, Catania, Alcamo in the Trapani area). Di Ballo: practically unique, Agrigento area

📍 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:

  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it