SURNAMES IN ITALY

Rapisardo

This form is a variant of the surname Rapisarda.

Origin and meaning

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

Rossoni suggests that it would derive from a nickname linked to the trade of fishmonger: rapi sarda would come from apri ("open") with dialectal inversion of letters, and sarda ("sardine, fish").

Blunda, on the other hand, for the Sicilian variant derives it from the Germanic compound Rab Salva, with the meaning of "protection of the raven" or "saviour raven," formed from rab (a variant of hraban, "raven") and salva ("healthy, safe, protected").

Blunda considers false the popular interpretation that associates the surname with the Italian rapisarda, with a sense related to the verb rapire ("to abduct"): the Germanic origin of the compound is independent of the Romance verb derived from the Latin rapere. He notes that, as a surname, it is preserved especially in eastern Sicily, where it reached notable diffusion over the centuries following the medieval continental repopulation.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Rapisarda is of Sicilian origin, probably of the Catania area. Rapisardi is much less diffused. Rapisardo, almost unique, is probably due to a transcription error.

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

Comparative analysis based on 3 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
  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it