SURNAMES IN ITALY

Sizzo

This form is a variant of the surname Sizzi.

Origin and meaning

This surname is considered to be of anthroponymic origin, derived from the Germanic hypocoristic Sizzo, a reduced form of the name Sieghard, composed of sieg ("victory") and hard ("hard, strong"). It is related to the tradition of Germanic names built with sig- as the first element.

E. Rossoni notes that Sizzi is very infrequent, with a presence concentrated in the Florence and Prato areas. The form Sizzo, practically unique, would seem to correspond to the region of Campania. As historical bearers of the base name, Rossoni mentions the count Sizzo von Bayern (925–987) and the prince Sizzo von Schwarzburg (1860–1926). A traditional zone of diffusion in the Val di Scalve, in the Lombardy area, is also recorded.

Variants

Geographic distribution: Florence, Prato, Campania

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