Surname Magistro
Origin and meaning
The authors agree that the surname derives from a word designating the master craftsman. F. Miranda notes that it comes from the Latin magister and that it shows the variants Magistri and Magistris. V. Blunda considers it a surname of Sicilian and dialect origin, derived from the word màstro, with the sense of "master, craftsman of recognized trade"; the term designated the holder of the workshop or the head of a gang, and the surname could have arisen as a label applied to whoever led a craft guild or a work team.
According to Miranda, the surname is present in almost every region of Italy, with the greatest concentration in the Messina area and in that of Bari. In Sicily it appears in every province, with a marked presence in Catania, Palermo and Syracuse; in the Enna area it is documented in the municipalities of Catenanuova and Piazza Armerina.
💡 The surname Magistro also appears as variant of the surname Maestri in other studies consulted in this project.
Variants
Altered forms and derivatives
Geographic distribution: Sicily
📍 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:
- Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.
- Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it