The surname Massagli is linked with old Latin onomastic forms such as Massalla or Massalia, the historical name of the city of Marseilles. These designations gave rise both to personal names and to Latin cognomina widespread in the Roman period, some of them mentioned by classical authors such as Tacitus and Tibullus. In this context, Massagli and its variants would appear to derive from medieval transformations of those Latin names, rather than from a specific Italian place name.

Diffusion in Italy

According to the documentation consulted, Massagli shows:

• A core in Tuscany, especially at Lucca and Capannori (province of Lucca), and at Pescia (province of Pistoia).
• A second core in Puglia, with a presence in the Brindisi and Bari areas.

It is an infrequent surname, with a localized distribution.

Related surnames

The following share the same etymological or historical origin:

• Massaglia (with a strong presence in Piedmont, especially in the Asti area and the area of Turin)
• Massali (very rare, documented in Calabria, province of Cosenza)

All of them go back to the same Latin roots (Massalla / Massalia), associated both with Marseilles and with old Roman cognomina.

Historical note

Among the related Latin names one recalls Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, the celebrated patron of the poet Tibullus, as well as Massalius, one of the seven martyrs of Corfu of the 1st century, which shows the antiquity and diffusion of the name in the Roman world.