SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Messineo

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni notes that this surname is found in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the area near the strait, and in the province of Palermo. He derives it from the various forms used to designate the demonym of Messina, suggesting that the original bearers of the name came from that city or its surroundings. G. P. Holmes agrees on the essential point, confirming that the surname derives from Messina. It is similarly recorded as originating from the city of Messina, in Sicily.

💡 The surname Messineo also appears as altered form of the surname Messina in other studies consulted in this project.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Calabria, Sicily

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

Drawing on 3 authors, this entry presents the different hypotheses about the origin of the surname, avoiding a single oversimplified explanation.

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
  • Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.