SURNAMES IN ITALY

Perrino

This form is a variant of the surname Perrone.

Origin and meaning

The surname Perrone is of mainly patronymic origin, that is, it derives from the given name of an ancestor. In this case, Perrone comes from medieval forms of the name Pietro (Peter).

During the Middle Ages the use of hypocoristics —affectionate or abbreviated forms of given names— was common. From Pietro arose variants such as Pero, Piero, Perro or Perrone, which in time became established as hereditary surnames. Perrone therefore originally meant "son of Pietro," "descendant of Pietro" or "member of the family of Pietro."

Although there are places called Perrone (for example, a place name in Apulia), the authors agree that the vast majority of Perrone families have a patronymic origin from the personal name Pietro. The toponymic origin is exceptional and secondary.

Diffusion in Italy

The surname Perrone is very widespread throughout Italy, with a particular historical concentration in:

  • Apulia (particularly in the Lecce and Taranto area),
  • Campania,
  • Calabria.

This broad diffusion is explained by the enormous popularity of the name Pietro throughout the peninsula since the Middle Ages.

Variant Type Main area in Italy Simple explanation
Perrone Base form Pan-Italian (very frequent in the south) Derives from a hypocoristic of Pietro
Perroni Patronymic North and centre The suffix -i indicates "the family of Perrone"
Perone Phonetic variant Campania, Sicily, Tuscany Form close to Pero / Piero
Perrino Diminutive Southern Italy "Little Perrone" or a family branch
Perri Abbreviated form Calabria, peninsular south Dialectal reduction of the name
Perro Archaic variant South and north central-west Old form linked to Pero
Peroni Patronymic Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Northern variant of the same origin

Variants

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

The 5 recorded variants show how a single group of related surnames evolved according to geographic area, historical period, and dialect.

Sources

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

  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.