SURNAMES IN ITALY

Rebua

This form is a variant of the surname Rebora.

Origin and meaning

E. De Felice and P. Regati agree that the surname was formed from the place name Rebora, a locality north of Genoa (local pronunciation rèbua), and that in some cases the base may also be the dialect word rèbua ("dried chestnut").

De Felice specifies that it is a locality and small nucleus of the upper Val Polcevera, in the province of Genoa, and also mentions the ethnic Reborate.

Regati, on the other hand, places Rebora in the upper Val Brevenna, north of Genoa. He adds that the variant Rebori is characteristic of the Chiavari area.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Genoa and bordering territory (including Piedmontese)

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

This entry brings together what 2 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

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.
  • Regati, P. (2003). Cognomi genovesi e liguri. Retrieved from https://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/cult_tradiz/cognomi.html