SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Sordi

Origin and meaning

The authors agree that the surname derives from a nickname related to the adjective sordo ("deaf"; in the varieties of southern Italy, surdo and surdu), alluding to a physical trait of the founding ancestor of the lineage.

E. Rossoni adds that a connection with behavioural traits is also possible, and documents the surname in the Valtellina in a record of 1502. According to Rossoni, the form Sordi has areas in Lombardy, in the Treviso area, in Tuscany and in the Rome and Frosinone areas; while Sordo is concentrated in Piedmont, in western Veneto and in Trentino-Alto Adige.

E. De Felice notes that the variant Sordon is typical of Veneto. Rossoni specifies that this form appears to be specific to Vazzola, in the Treviso area.

Regarding the southern forms, De Felice indicates that Surdi appears predominantly in Apulia with the article Lo. Rossoni qualifies that Surdi, rare, has a presence in the Caserta area and the Palermo area; and that Surdo appears in the Trapani area and in Apulia.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Centre-North (Sordi; Sordon Venetan); South (Surdi; forms with Lo predominantly Apulian)

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

This entry brings together what 3 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

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.