SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Sita

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni places this surname in the Bologna and Ferrara areas, and proposes two possible origins: the Latin cognomen Sita or the Gens Sittia.

F. De Laurentiis considers it a variant of the surname Sitta.

A different perspective is offered by G. Rohlfs, who documents it in Calabria, specifically in the Catanzaro and Reggio Calabria areas, with a presence in localities such as Dinami, Squillace, Cittanova, Màmmola, Bianco and Locri. According to Rohlfs, the surname would have a Greek-Byzantine origin and would derive from the Greek sitàs, a term that designated the "maker of sieves" or sieve-maker. From this surname, Rohlfs also explains the name of the locality Sìtoni, in Nicòtera. The author notes that the surname survives in Greece.

Geographic distribution: The Bologna area, the Ferrara area

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

Comparative analysis based on 3 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:

  • 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/
  • Rohlfs, G. (1974). Dizionario onomastico e toponomastico della Calabria: Prontuario filologico-geografico della Calabria. Longo Editore. Rohlfs, G. (1984). Dizionario storico dei cognomi della Sicilia orientale: Repertorio storico-etimologico. Centro di Studi Filologici e Linguistici Siciliani.