Potestà
This form is a variant of the surname Podestà.
Origin and meaning
E. Rossoni and P. Regati agree that the surname derives from the medieval office of podestà, the highest administrative authority of the medieval Italian cities, with the functions of governor and judge.
Regati adds that it is typical of Chiavari and Lavagna.
Variants
Geographic distribution: Podestà: the Genoa area, with a specific pocket in the Rome area. Potestà: extremely rare, probably Rome
📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)
Drawing on 2 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:
- Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org
- Regati, P. (2003). Cognomi genovesi e liguri. Retrieved from https://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/cult_tradiz/cognomi.html