SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Mutti

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni notes that the surname derives from the Latin Muttius, documented in an ancient Roman inscription, and that its fixing as a surname is recorded in the Brescia area in the 16th century. It is diffused throughout Lombardy, the Pavia area and the Piacenza area.

R. Brondolo proposes, by contrast, that it is a euphemistic hyper-Italianization of the adjective muti, "those who cannot speak", originally referring to a physical defect. This interpretation places it in northern Italy.

Geographic distribution: Diffused throughout Lombardy, the Pavia area and the Piacenza area

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

Comparative analysis based on 2 authors: where they agree, the hypothesis is strengthened; where they differ, the alternative interpretations are presented.

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
  • Brondolo, R. (2004, May 23). Questioni di nomi e di terre [Weekly newspaper article]. L'Ancora. https://web.archive.org/brondolo_nomi_1.html