SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Ghini

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from the name Ghino, an aphaeretic hypocoristic of the diminutive and affectionate forms Aghino, Arrighino and Ughino. Its presence is concentrated in northern and central-western Italy, extending as far as Tuscany.

E. De Felice notes, moreover, that Ghino could represent the Germanic hypocoristic Wino, derived from names compounded with the element *wini-, with the meaning "friend, companion".

💡 The surname Ghini also appears as altered form of the surname Ugone in other studies consulted in this project.

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: North-central and north-western Italy, Tuscany

📍 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:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • De Laurentiis, F. (2003). Cognomi occhiobellesi. Storia, curiosità, significati e classifiche. Occhiobello: Teatro Polivalente di Occhiobello (T.P.O.). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20030516113456/http://www.comune.occhiobello.ro.it/cognomi/