SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Rizzati

Origin and meaning

F. De Laurentiis and E. Rossoni agree that the surname is related to the term riccio ("curly").

De Laurentiis records it as derived from Ricci.

Rossoni specifies that it derives from modifications of the term riccio. He documents the transformation into a surname in Venice in the period 1475–1491 with the notary Giambattista Rizzati, and in Bergamo in 1559 with a certain Antonio Rizatus.

Rossoni further distinguishes the forms: Rizzati is typical of the area extending from the Verona area to the Rovigo and Ferrara areas; Rizzato is typically Venetan, with an independent area also in the Salento.

💡 The surname Rizzati also appears as variants of the surnames Ricci and Rizzato in other studies consulted in this project.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Veneto

📍 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
  • De Laurentiis, F. (2003). Cognomi occhiobellesi. Storia, curiosità, significati e classifiche. Occhiobello: Teatro Polivalente di Occhiobello (T.P.O.). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20030516113456/http://www.comune.occhiobello.ro.it/cognomi/