SURNAMES IN ITALY

Scarsello

This form is a variant of the surname Scarsella.

Origin and meaning

From the word "scarsella" = bag for documents, letters, money and objects.

The authors agree that this surname derives from the word scarsella (with old and regional variants scarzella or scarcella), which designated a bag to carry money, documents and other objects. Its origin is a nickname or trade name linked to that bag.

E. De Felice notes that the surnames Scarsella and Scarselli, as well as Scarzello and Scarzelli, may also be considered forms derived from the Scarsi group. He adds that the variants with -c- (Scarcella, Scarcello, Scarcelli) may respond, in southern Italy, to place names present in the provinces of Reggio Calabria, Cosenza and Messina.

E. Rossoni specifies the geographic distribution: Scarsella is typical of Lazio, especially in the Rome and Frosinone areas, and also in the L'Aquila area, in Abruzzo. Scarselli presents a nucleus between the Florence and Pisa areas, in Tuscany, and another in the Isernia area, in Molise. Rossoni further proposes that the nickname could have been used to identify a well-off family.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Italy (sporadic); forms in -c- proper to the South

📍 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
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.