SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Onofri

Origin and meaning

The surname Onofri is of anthroponymic origin and derives from the personal name Onofrio, which continues the Christian Latin Onnuphrius (or Honuphrius), in turn an adaptation of an Egyptian epithet linked to the meaning "always happy". On this point E. De Felice and E. Rossoni agree, noting that it is a name diffused in the Christian tradition from the figure of Saint Onuphrius, a hermit of Upper Egypt between the 4th and 5th centuries.

E. De Felice highlights that its diffusion in Italy was favoured by the religious cult, especially from the Crusades, while E. Rossoni confirms its use in the medieval period and its subsequent transformation into a hereditary surname, documented in different historical contexts. In this way, the surname reflects the influence of the religious tradition in the formation of Italian names and surnames.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Emilia (Onofri); the South (Onofrio, Onufrio, D'Onofrio); Tuscany (abbreviated forms)

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