SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Posa

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni and V. Blunda differ on the origin of the surname.

Rossoni derives it from a dialect nickname based on the southern Italian term posa, which means "dried beans soaking in water," possibly attributed to a market gardener or a cook.

Blunda, on the other hand, for the Sicilian variant derives it from the word pòsa ("bearing, composure"), a noun that describes the bodily posture and the air a person assumes before others. As a surname it could have originated in a nickname applied to a person of studied bearing or reputed for the affectation of their manners.

Geographic distribution: The Bari area (Acquaviva delle Fonti, Modugno, Bari, Gioia del Colle, Minervino Murge, Casamassima), Foggia, the Cosenza area (Amantea, Cosenza)

📍 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
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it