Lavuri
This form is a variant of the surname Lavore.
Origin and meaning
E. Rossoni and V. Blunda agree that this is a surname of Sicilian origin deriving from the dialect term lavuri. Rossoni describes it as a word designating fresh hay still to be cut, and suggests that the original nickname denoted agricultural labourers. Blunda, by contrast, specifies that lavuri means "cereal in the grain, fodder for livestock", and notes that the term also designates the work of the cereal harvest.
According to Blunda, the surname may have originated in a nickname applied to the thresher, or else in a microtoponym linked to a plot known for its yield. Rossoni, for his part, notes that the variants Lavori and Lavuri are also Sicilian: Lavori is almost unique, while Lavuri is confined to Piazza Armerina, in the Enna area.
As for geographical distribution, Rossoni locates Lavore mainly in Gela and Mazzarino, in the Caltanissetta area, and in Piazza Armerina, in the Enna area.
Variants
Geographic distribution: Lavore: typically Sicilian, from Gela and Mazzarino in the Caltanissetta area and from Piazza Armerina in the Enna area. Lavori: almost unique, also Sicilian. Lavuri: specific to Piazza Armerina in the Enna area
📍 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
- Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it