SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Petralia

Origin and meaning

The surname Petralia is of toponymic origin and derives from the name of the localities of Petralia Soprana and Petralia Sottana, in the province of Palermo. On this point E. De Felice, F. De Laurentiis and E. Rossoni agree, noting that the surname was formed from these place names and from their demonyms, to indicate the geographic origin of the line.

Along the same lines, the authors highlight its typically Sicilian character, reflecting a clear territorial origin within the Italian onomastic tradition.

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Sicily

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

This entry brings together what 3 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

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
  • De Laurentiis, F. (2003). Cognomi occhiobellesi. Storia, curiosità, significati e classifiche. Occhiobello: Teatro Polivalente di Occhiobello (T.P.O.). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20030516113456/http://www.comune.occhiobello.ro.it/cognomi/