SURNAMES IN ITALY

Zenobi

This form is a variant of the surname Zanobi.

Origin and meaning

It has as its base the name Zenobio, which in Tuscany took the popular form Zanobi through the frequent passage of unstressed e to a in the Tuscan dialect. Zenobio continues the Latin Zenobius, an adaptation of the Greek Zenóbios, formed from Zeus and bíos ('life'), with the meaning of 'life of Zeus' or 'one who lives thanks to Zeus'. The name spread in Tuscany through the cult of Saint Zenobius, bishop of Florence around the year 400. Bongioanni refers this surname to the entry Zenobio for more information. Diffused mainly in Tuscany.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Tuscany for Zanobi and the altered forms; the Venetias and Emilia-Romagna for the abbreviated forms

📍 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:

  • Bongioanni, A. (1940). Nomi e Cognomi. Saggio di ricerche etimologiche e storiche. Milano: Fratelli Bocca.
  • 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