The name Antonio, one of the most widespread in Italy, has generated a great variety of surnames over time. These forms arose by the patronymic route, with regional suffixes, phonetic modifications, prefixes or combinations with other names. To make analysis easier, the surnames are organized into seven groups according to their morphological structure or their dialect evolution.

Surnames derived from Antonio – Group 5: Compound surnames (Antonio + another name)

Variants included: Antonangelo, Antonangeli, Antongiovanni, Antonomaso, Giannantonio, Giulantonio, Di Giannantonio.

General information

This group brings together the surnames formed by the union of the name Antonio with another given name, generally with a filiative or devotional function. These compounds reflect traditional Italian formulas such as "son of Antonio and Giovanni", or else a wish to evoke two important religious or family figures. Some of these compound surnames remained stable as such, while others joined with prefixes such as Di or Giann-.

Examples and regional distribution

• Antonangelo, Antonangeli: common in central Italy, especially in Lazio and the Marche.
• Antongiovanni: found in Abruzzo and Molise.
• Antonomaso: rare, documented in southern Italy.
• Giannantonio, Giulantonio, Di Giannantonio: frequent in Abruzzo, Lazio and Apulia.

Linguistic notes

This type of compounding is common in the Italian tradition, where the names of saints or of important family members are combined. In many cases, double names became hereditary surnames, especially from the 15th century onwards.

Etymology of the name Antonio

Antonio comes from the Latin nomen Antonius, probably of Etruscan origin. It was one of the most widely used names in Italy owing to the spread of the cult of Saint Anthony of Padua, patron of the poor, of lost objects and of the unmarried.