SURNAMES IN ITALY

Sammarchi

This form is a variant of the surname Sammarco.

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that this surname derives from the toponymic type San Marco or Sammarco, extended throughout Italy, although with a greater presence in the south of the Italian peninsula.

E. De Felice notes that the form Sammarchi —a plural variant— is located mainly in the north-east of Italy and, predominantly, in Emilia-Romagna.

E. Rossoni specifies that the surname presents multiple independent lines of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without a direct relation between them. He identifies three specific zones: the Palermo area in Sicily, the region of Apulia and the region of Campania. Among the place names that could have given rise to the surname he mentions Cellino San Marco, in the province of Brindisi; San Marco di Locorotondo, in the province of Bari; San Marco, in the Salerno area; and various localities called San Marco in the province of Caserta.

Variants

Geographic distribution: The South (Sammarco); the North-East and predominantly Emilia-Romagna (Sammarchi)

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

Comparative analysis based on 2 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:

  • 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