SURNAMES IN ITALY

Nolano

This form is an altered form of the surname Nola.

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from the place name Nola, a city of the region of Campania, or from its demonym nolano.

E. Rossoni specifies that the city is of pre-Roman origin, possibly Oscan, and that its name in the Osco-Samnite language was Novla or Novula, with the sense of "new city", as opposed to the neighbouring and older Hiria. After the Roman conquest, it came to be called Nolana Colonia Felix Augustea. Rossoni further notes that the form Nola is concentrated mainly in the city of Nola itself and also appears in the Trapani and Caltanissetta areas, while the variant Nolano is typical of Naples and its surroundings.

E. De Felice adds that the form D'Anola, linked to this same toponymic origin, spread towards the region of Calabria.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Campania; Calabria (D'Anola widespread)

📍 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:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org