SURNAMES IN ITALY

Liuzzo Scorpo

This form is a compound of the surname Liuzzo.

Origin and meaning

F. Miranda puts forward several hypotheses on the origin of this surname. It could derive from hypocoristic forms of the given name Leo —a contracted form of Leone—, or else by aphaeresis from the name Elia, or by aphaeresis from Eliuzzo, this last coming from the Greek élios, "sun". Miranda also does not rule out a toponymic origin, pointing to places such as the Orto Liuzzo, a hamlet of the comune of Messina, or the contrada San Liuzzi near Trani, in Puglia.

G. P. Holmes agrees in noting the names Leo and Elia as possible bases of the surname, and indicates that in Messina there is a district of this name, and that the surname is also very widespread in Tortorici.

The surname is typical of eastern Sicily and of the Reggio Calabria area. Miranda documents its presence in the Messina, Catania, Agrigento, Caltanissetta and Enna areas and, in Calabria, in the Reggio Calabria, Crotone and Cosenza areas. He also records families bearing this surname in Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Veneto, Liguria and Campania.

Altered forms and derivatives

Compounds

Geographic distribution: A surname typical of eastern Sicily and of the Reggio Calabria area, found above all in the Messina area (Floresta, Messina, Capo d'Orlando, Santa Domenica Vittoria, Tortorici), the Catania area (Bronte, Catania, Aci Catena, Maniace, Maletto), the Agrigento area (Camastra, Licata, Agrigento), the Caltanissetta area (Campofranco, Santa Caterina Villarmosa, Mazzarino), in the Enna area (Enna, Piazza Armerina, Regalbuto, Centuripe) and, in Calabria, in the Reggio Calabria area (Montebello Jonio, Reggio Calabria, Motta San Giovanni), and in those of Crotone and Cosenza. Liuzzo families are further attested in several Italian regions: Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Veneto, Liguria and Campania.

📍 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.
  • Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it