The fig (fico) is a fruit that has had a strong symbolic, economic and dietary presence in the Mediterranean world. In Italy, especially in the south and in the island regions, figs have been considered an accessible food, associated both with the subsistence of the popular classes and with certain economic activities such as drying, street selling or harvesting. That centrality has been reflected in various Italian surnames that allude directly or indirectly to the fig, its consumption, its marketing or its use as a symbolic element.

The following are the main Italian surnames related to figs (fichi), with detailed information according to the research of E. Rossoni, E. De Felice, P. Lastrico and other authors. In each case the meaning, the possible connotation (literal, symbolic or ironic), the geographical distribution and the attribution of the source are preserved.

• Muscara / Muscarà This is a rare surname. Muscara would seem to be of the Lecce area, while Muscarà is diffused in central-eastern Sicily (Enna, Catania, Messina). It could derive from nicknames originating in the Arabic term m'sarràh ("joy, contentment"), but more probably it comes from the dialectal muscanu, which alludes to the place where fruit was put to dry, especially figs. A second hypothesis is also proposed: derivation from the term muscaràs (in Greco-Arabic), meaning "raiser of calves". Rossoni holds that the most likely origin is related to the activity of drying figs.

• Scetta / Scetto Specific to Castelvenere (Benevento), with some presence in Campobasso and Naples. It derives from the Campanian dialectal term sciétta, which designates a round container of dried figs, possibly alluding to the occupation of the ancestor as a fig seller. Rossoni maintains that the surname reflects a traditional practice linked to the trade in dried figs.

• Sferazza / Sferazzo / Sferlazza / Sferlazzo / Sferrazza / Sferrazzo These are infrequent and decidedly Sicilian surnames. They are found in Catania, Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Syracuse and other centres. They would derive from the archaic dialectal term sferazza or sferazzo, which designates the place where figs were dried in the sun (stuòia dove si ponevano ad essiccare i fichi al sole). Alternatively, they could have a toponymic origin. Rossoni considers it likely that they originate in activities linked to the drying of figs.

• Sibiriu A Sardinian surname, present in Guspini, Gonnosfanadiga and Villaperuccio. The term sibiriu refers to wild plants such as dill or rosemary, but in 14th-century records it also appears linked to plots used for the drying of figs. Although the fig is not the only possible meaning, it is mentioned as part of the agricultural context. Rossoni considers that this surname may derive from figs but with reservations.

• Spreafico / Spreafichi A surname of northern Italy, especially in Lecco, Bergamo and Como. There are multiple hypotheses about its origin:

1. Derivation from a dialectal byname linked to the poverty of the family, known as spela fichi (fig-eaters), figs being considered a food of the poor.
2. Reference to one who "sprea" or drags manure (figh).
3. Nickname for one who "spreca, schiaccia i fichi" (spoils figs), alluding to the warbler, a bird that ruins fruit.
4. According to Ottavio Lurati, it would be a distortion of Squarciafico, in turn from Squarciafiche, slang designating a womaniser ("l'è 'n spreafich").
5. Another interpretation, mentioned by Rossoni, indicates that the surname may be composed of sprea + fico. Fico = fig; sprea would come from the Milanese dialect and from the expression no perà figh ("not to peel figs"), which meant "not to pay compliments". Thus, perafigh was transformed into spreafich.

The fig appears here both literally and in figurative constructions related to nicknames or idiomatic phrases.

• Tagliafichi / Tagliafico This is a rare surname. Tagliafichi seems to be of the Piacenza area (Rottofreno), Tagliafico of Genoa. They derive from ironic nicknames comparable to rufabichi (fig-breakers), used to designate disreputable or boastful people. The reference to the fig here is symbolic or derogatory. Rossoni considers that this surname may derive from figs but with reservations.

• Mangiafico

• Figus Typical of the Cagliari and Oristano areas. It derives from nicknames originating in the Sardinian word figus (fig), although in some cases it could also derive from place names such as Nuraxi Figus in the Cagliari area. It is documented as early as 1543 in Cagliari in an inquisitorial trial. Rossoni considers it a surname linked directly to the fig in its Sardinian dialectal form.

• Ficara / Ficarra With a presence in southern Calabria, eastern and western Sicily (Syracuse, Catania, Palermo, Trapani). It could derive from Ficara (ME) as a place name, or else directly from the Arabic word fakhar ("glorious, worthy of esteem"), although also from the Sicilian dialect ficarra = "fig tree". Rossoni puts forward this last hypothesis as the most likely in many cases.

• Ficarazzi An extremely rare surname. It could derive from the place name Ficarazzi (PA) or Ficarazzi (CT). Rossoni indicates its possible origin in places linked to fig trees or in nicknames formed from them.

• Ficcera / Fighera Fichera is typical of eastern Sicily; Fighera is typical of the Treviso area, especially of Istrana. They derive from the trade of seller or grower of figs or from the presence of a large concentration of fig trees near the family dwelling. Rossoni notes their direct link with the activity of growing or trading figs.

• Fichi / Fico Fichi is very rare and seems Pisan; Fico is typically southern (Lazio, Naples, Taranto, Cosenza, Crotone). They derive from nicknames that alluded to the presence of a fig tree near the family home, or to people who grew, gathered or preserved figs. Rossoni interprets these surnames as direct derivatives of the fruit or of its cultivation.

In summary, we can group these surnames into three groups:

• Surnames containing the root fic:
  • Spreafico, Spreafichi, Tagliafichi, Tagliafico, Mangiafico, Ficarazzi, Ficara, Ficarra, Ficcera, Fico, Fichi
• Surnames containing the root fig:
  • Figus, Fighera
• Surnames that do not contain the root fic/fig but are related to the cultivation or consumption of figs:
  • Muscara, Muscarà, Scetta, Scetto, Sferazza, Sferazzo, Sferlazza, Sferlazzo, Sferrazza, Sferrazzo, Sibiriu

R. Brondolo proposes three hypotheses of origin, all derived from a nickname. The first relates it to one who dragged manure; the second, to one who crushed figs, alluding to the bird beccafico (fig-pecker). The third hypothesis, supported by documentation of the Como area of the 15th century, links it to an attenuation of Squarciafico, from the slang squarciafiche, with the sense of "squanderer" or "waster of women", from which comes the dialectal expression l'è 'n spreafich, equivalent to "he is a womaniser".