SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Savoca

Origin and meaning

E. De Felice, E. Rossoni and G. P. Holmes agree that the surname was formed from the place name Savoca, in the Messina area.

Rossoni specifies that it is a decidedly Sicilian surname, of the central-eastern part of the island, especially of the Messina, Catania and Enna areas, with a greater concentration in Enna, Catania, Messina and Palermo. He adds that it may derive both from the name of the town of Savoca and from place names crossed by the Savoca torrent. He notes that in the medieval period Savoca was a true city, with a castle and an extensive wall.

Holmes agrees with the derivation from the name of the Messinese city of Savoca or from the places crossed by the homonymous torrent, and reiterates that in the medieval period the city was an important centre.

Geographic distribution: Sicily (frequent)

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

Drawing on 3 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:

  • 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
  • Patti Holmes, G. (2018). Alla scoperta dei cognomi siciliani. Retrieved from https://www.ilsicilia.it