SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Moro

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from a nickname referring to dark physical features —hair or brown skin—. R. Brondolo specifies that the base is the Latin maurus, with the sense of "Moor, dark-skinned", and adds that, according to Moretti, there could also be an origin in the Germanic Andomar, through the forms Amari and Amoretti. E. De Stefani notes that the nickname became a surname over time, and rules out the hypothesis that it is an abbreviation of Morocutti, present at Ligosullo, as incompatible with the documentary attestations.

The surname has independent origins in different regions of Italy. De Stefani documents its presence in communities of Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with specific areas at Ligosullo —a locality of Carnia, the mountainous area of northern Friuli, in the province of Udine—, as well as at Sutrio, Treppo Carnico, Tolmezzo, Latisana, Udine, Trieste and various localities of Veneto such as Roncade and Casale sul Sile. Brondolo places the surname in northern Italy in more general terms.

💡 The surname Moro also appears as variants of the surnames Morello and Mori in other studies consulted in this project.

Variants

Geographic distribution: A surname known in several communities of Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli. It is also the name of an old family of Ligosullo, in Carnia (the mountainous region of northern Friuli, province of Udine), documented from the 15th century. It is likewise long established at Salino, a hamlet of Paularo. Some cores lived in the 15th century at Paluzza, where they are now extinct. From the middle of the 17th century there are Moro at Treppo Carnico (today concentrated in the hamlet of Tausia), through marriage with a local family. From the end of the 17th century they are also documented at Sutrio, where they coexist with the Del Moro. Today Moro are found at Tolmezzo as well. Families with this surname appear, independently, throughout Friuli, Veneto and Austria (Aquileia, Codroipo, Latisana, Lestizza, Trieste, Udine, Aviano, Fiume Veneto, Roncade, Casale sul Sile, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Graz and Vienna).

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

Drawing on 2 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:

  • De Stefani, E. (2003). Cognomi della Carnia. Udine: Società Filologica Friulana. ISBN 88-7636-018-2.
  • Brondolo, R. (2004, May 23). Questioni di nomi e di terre [Weekly newspaper article]. L'Ancora. https://web.archive.org/brondolo_nomi_1.html