Common Italian Last Names

Read on further to explore the list of common Italian last names and some interesting insight into their history and meaning.

Italian names have a way of sounding unique, in that, it encases an element of finesse, like no other race captures quite so aptly. The legendary Hollywood actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, also has an Italian last name making it one of the most common Italian last names in America! Did you know that the Italian last names that possess ‘Di’ or ‘Da’ as the prefix, signifies the ‘son of’. For instance, ‘DiCaprio‘ would mean ‘son of Caprio‘. Further more, Italian last names with the suffix ‘ucci‘, means ‘descendant of‘.

Italian Last Names: Origin

Italian last names have a literal meaning behind them. The history of Italy depicts that the ancient Italians had three names which consisted of the first name, the name which represented the family’s identity, and a unique name that solely described the individual. It was only during the 15th century that the Italians started identifying themselves with two names, which are the individual’s name and the last name respectively. The Italian last names originated as a source which defined a person’s identity in terms of their occupation, locality, individual traits, and so on. All these aspects are explained in details in the following section.

Geographical Last Names: These last names define the locality or the region of Italy from where a person belongs. For example, the Italian surname ‘Romano‘, means a ‘person from Rome‘. Likewise, the surname ‘Montagna‘ means that the person is ‘of the mountains‘.

Occupational Last Names: Many of the last names are derived to define the occupation of the person. For example, the Italian last name, ‘Zappa‘ means ‘farmer‘.

Patronymic Last Names: These last names are derived from the first name of the father. For example, Italian last name like ‘DiFrancesco‘ means ‘the son of Fransesco.’

Descriptive Last Names: These last names are described based on some qualities that the family or the individual possesses. For example, last name like ‘Basso‘ means ‘short‘.

List of Common Italian Last Names

Italy is always known for the richness that it holds in its culture, food, monuments and everything! Everything about Italy signifies its roots to its culture, including the Italian names. Now that you have an idea of the origin and the meaning of Italian last names, let us have a look at some of the most common Italian last names that are known.

Because Italian names have so much finesse in them, they can be easily identified as soon as you hear one! Now that you have come across the popular surnames of Italy, you can also have a look at some popular Italian names if you want. Personally, I feel that Italian last names are successful in portraying the culture and magic of Italy. I hope that by reading this article, you have learned that Italy is a lot more than its famous Pizzas and cheese. So did you find your last name in the list?