The surname Viggiani and the surname Vigani resemble each other phonetically, but they are two distinct surnames, both of toponymic origin yet derived from different places in Italy.

The surname Viggiani

Viggiani is a surname of toponymic origin derived from the name of the town of Viggiano, in the region of Basilicata. The place name Viggiano comes, in turn, from the Latin cognomen Vigianus, documented already in the medieval period. In Italy, the historically correct and documented form is Viggiani, with its main concentration in the provinces of Potenza and Matera.

The surname Vigani / Viganò

Vigani is also a surname of toponymic origin, but it has no relation with Viggiano or with Basilicata. It derives from the place name Viganò and from other kindred localities of northern Italy. Its etymology refers to the Latin vicus ("village, settlement") and to the genitive vicanorum, which alluded to the rural communities formed by the inhabitants of a single nucleus. This group of surnames is typical of Lombardy, especially of the provinces of Lecco, Bergamo, Milan, Como and Varese. In this case, Vigani and Viganò are forms coherent with that territorial origin and do not derive from the surname Viggiani.