SURNAMES IN ITALY

Ferrugia

This form is a variant of the surname Ferruggia.

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname could be an altered form of Farruggia, or derive from the Calabrian dialectal word ferruggia, which designates the giant fennel, a herbaceous plant whose rod was used in Roman civilisation to punish schoolchildren.

F. Miranda adds a third hypothesis: the surname could derive from a nickname linked to the Arabic word farrug or farrudja, which means "young chicken". Miranda also notes that Ferruggia is spread in several regions of Italy, with presence in Sicily —in the provinces of Palermo, Trapani, Catania, Enna and Messina—, as well as in Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Veneto, Umbria, Campania and Puglia.

E. Rossoni specifies that Ferruggia is characteristic of Palermo, while its variant Ferrugia is practically unique and is circumscribed also to the Palermo area.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Ferruggia is specific to Palermo. Ferrugia is also of the Palermo 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
  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.