SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Pollastri

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni and F. De Laurentiis agree that the surname derives from an occupational name related to the raising of chickens.

Rossoni links it simply to the trade of chicken breeder.

De Laurentiis specifies that the base is nicknames and occupational names formed from pollastro ("young chicken"), referring to one who raised and traded poultry. He adds that it could also be applied, in a figurative sense, to people with the characteristics of the "chicken": an inexperienced and gullible individual, easy to deceive; one who rises early and goes to bed early; someone clumsy or ridiculous.

💡 The surname Pollastri also appears as altered form of the surname Pollo in other studies consulted in this project.

Geographic distribution: Specific pockets in the Milan, Modena and Florence areas

📍 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
  • 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/