SURNAMES IN ITALY

Milanesi

This form is an altered form of the surname Milani.

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from the place name Milano and from its demonym. Both also note that, in some areas, especially in Lombardy, it is frequently a surname of Jewish origin.

E. De Felice indicates that the surname shows a high frequency in northern Italy, with a notable presence in Lombardy, in north-eastern Italy (in the regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige) and in Emilia-Romagna. F. De Laurentiis agrees on that geographical distribution and adds that the surname is found throughout Italy.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Italy; high frequency in the North, Lombardy, Veneto (Milàn) and Emilia-Romagna

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

This entry brings together what 2 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • De Laurentiis, F. (2003). Cognomi occhiobellesi. Storia, curiosità, significati e classifiche. Occhiobello: Teatro Polivalente di Occhiobello (T.P.O.). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20030516113456/http://www.comune.occhiobello.ro.it/cognomi/