Surname Iorio
Origin and meaning
Scholars agree that this surname derives from the personal name Giorgio. E. Rossoni specifies that it comes from the medieval Latin form Iorius, documented in the area of Bergamo: in a deed of July 5, 1513, the name of a witness appears as "Iorius de Rota." F. De Laurentiis considers it a variant of Giorgi, a southern form shaped by modern Greek influence. The "Surnames in Italy" reference traces the name back further, connecting Giorgio to the Greek word gheorgos, meaning "farmer."
Rossoni notes that the surname is found throughout central and southern Italy, with a presence also in the area of Cagliari, in Emilia-Romagna, in the area of Genoa, and in the area of Milan. The variant Iuorio is typical of Campania, in particular of the area of Salerno.
Among the historical figures who bore this surname, Rossoni mentions Nicola Iorio, archbishop of Nazareth between 1726 and 1744, and Monsignor Pietro Alfonso Iorio, archbishop of Taranto between 1885 and 1908.
💡 The surname Iorio also appears as variant of the surname Giorgi; also altered form of the surname Giorgio in other studies consulted in this project.
Variants
Geographic distribution: Veneto
📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)
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
- 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/
- Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.