SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Frustaci

Origin and meaning

F. Miranda notes that this surname is of Calabrian origin, with a historical nucleus in the Catanzaro area and in the Crotone area. He proposes two etymological hypotheses: that it derives from the Italianization of the Slavic surname Frostaky, or from a nickname of Greek-Calabrian (grecanico) origin meaning "guardian of the ears of wheat".

P. Durante points, for his part, to a Greek origin linked to the semantic field of eating or devouring, although the available source does not develop this etymology with sufficient detail to specify it.

As for its distribution, Miranda documents an extended presence in several regions of Italy: Calabria, Lazio, Lombardy, Tuscany, Liguria, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Sicily. On this last island, it is recorded in the Agrigento and Enna areas; in this province, the surname is known only in the municipality of Regalbuto.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Surname spread in around 80 comuni of several regions: Calabria, Lazio, Lombardy, Tuscany, Liguria, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Sicily (in the provinces of Agrigento and Enna). In the Enna area it is known only in the comune of Regalbuto.

📍 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:

  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.
  • Bergamo, N. (2013, May 21). Impero Romano d'Oriente 330–1453 la sua storia. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.imperobizantino.it/