SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Potenza

Origin and meaning

From the name of the city of Potenza, the main town of the Basilicata region in Southern Italy.

The surname Potenza is of toponymic origin and derives from the name of the city of Potenza, the capital of Basilicata. On this point E. De Felice and E. Rossoni agree, noting that the surname was formed to indicate the geographic origin of the line from this important centre of southern Italy.

E. De Felice further adds its relation with the demonym Potenzano (today Potentino), which reinforces its territorial character. In this way, the surname reflects an origin linked to the place of provenance, in keeping with the usual formation of Italian surnames.

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: The South

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

Drawing on 3 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
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.