SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Zappa

Origin and meaning

From the word "zappa" = hoe; surname connected to the job of the farmers.

According to E. De Felice, the surname originates from nicknames and trade names linked to zappa ("hoe"), zappetta and the verb zappare ("to dig the earth"). These terms refer to agricultural work, especially that of the peasant or digger. In some cases, moreover, the nickname could take on an ironic or derogatory nuance, applied to persons considered uncultured or rustic, associated only with manual work in the fields.

For his part, E. Rossoni agrees in relating these forms to a nickname linked to the trade of peasant, reinforcing its occupational character. He adds that, in the case of some Sicilian variants, there could also be a toponymic derivation from Za-type place names.

💡 The surname Zappa also appears as altered form of the surname Zappone in other studies consulted in this project.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Compounds

Geographic distribution: Italy; greater frequency of Zappa in Liguria; Zappi (with Zappoli and Zapparoli) in Emilia-Romagna; Zappulla predominantly Sicilian; Zappatore of the Salento area

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

Comparative analysis based on 6 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:

  • 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
  • Bergamo, N. (2013, mayo 21). Impero Romano d'Oriente 330–1453 la sua storia. Recuperado el 19 de enero de 2021, de https://www.imperobizantino.it/
  • Brondolo, R. (2004, May 23). Questioni di nomi e di terre [Weekly newspaper article]. L'Ancora. https://web.archive.org/brondolo_nomi_1.html
  • Research conducted by Surnames in Italy, the English-language project of Ancestros Italianos, based on the bibliography cited in the references.
  • Blunda, V. (2018). Supposte origini dei cognomi in Sicilia [Digital edition]. Retrieved from https://www.trapaninostra.it