Italian Last Name Meanings

Last names or surnames are used so often these days. But before the 15th century, the concept of surnames was not in use. People where usually referred to by their first names. But in one particular area, there were so many people of the same name that confusion arose. Hence it was decided that after the first name a surname or last name would be added in order to differentiate between two people of the same name. Hence, the surnames were given on the basis of place or origin, occupation, etc. Given below are some of the last names and their meanings which will help you to learn more about the history of your last name.

Italian Last Names

The people of Italy were given their last names on the basis of four main categories; their places of origin, their occupation, some unique quality which they had and parent's name. Let us see each of these categories in details now.

Geographical: Some people were given their surnames or last names on the basis of where they came from or where they resided. Leonardo da Vinci and his family were originally from a town in Eastern Tuscany called Vinci, hence the surname, the surname Di Montagna were meant for those who came from the mountains and so on.

Occupation: People were also named on the basis of their occupation. Sometimes people also used the name of an animal or object that the person used the most in his/her occupation. E.g.: Giovanni Contadino or John the Farmer, or Zappa which means farmer, Acciari which meant steel worker or ax maker and so on.

Patronymic Last Names: Some people were also named on the basis of whose son or daughter they were. E.g.: Pietro di Alberto or Peter son of Albert and so on. This kind of surname is usually indicated by the prefixes 'von', 'de', 'di' etc. The name of a mother was rarely used though.

Unique Feature: People were also named on the basis of a special quality that they had, or sometimes on the basis of physical description such as Francesco Basso or Francis the short, Mosca or annoying, Cavallo or someone with large front teeth or noisy and so on.

Now that we know the main categories on the basis of which people were given their last names, let us now see what were the various Italian surname meanings. If your name family name is here in the list, you will now know why your ancestors were called so.

Last Names	Meaning or Origin
Albani Albano	People from Albano or Alba.
Albini Albinoni Albino	People with light colored hair and skin. Possibly derived from the nickname 'Albinus'.
Acciari Acciaro Acciaroli	People whose occupation was steel worker or ax maker.
Acerbi Acerbo Acerbis	Derived from the word 'acerbus' which means cruel.
Addario	One who owns goodness.
Aiolfi Aiolfo	Someone who is feared like the wolf.
Arcelli Arcellone Arcelloni Arcellaio	People who dealt in bow making.
Arcaini Arcari Arcaro	Craftsmen who made wooden containers for keeping either bread or other household stuffs.
Avogadro Avogari Avogaro	People who were lawyers (Italian term - Avvocato).
Bacco	Derived from the Latin name Bacchus or God of Wine. Probably meant someone who worked in a vineyard or was involved in a wine trade.
Bagnaschi Bagnasco	People from the town of Bagnasco.
Balestra Balestrini	Crossbow maker or soldier.
Ballarini Ballarino	People who were good dancers.
Bassi Basso	Someone who is short.
Beci	Someone who is old.
Bellucci Bello Bellini	These are some of the most common surnames in Italy. It means a man who is very handsome.
Bussi Busso	People from Bussi.
Cacciatore	People who were hunters.
Carriere Carriero	Wagon driver.
Cocca Cocco	Egg or a dear person.
Dal Monte	People coming from the mountains.
Di Salvo Di Salvio	Means saved by the earth and it's a patronymic name which means 'so and so, son of Salvo.
Di Corrado	A courageous person to take any kind of decisions. It is also a patronymic surname.
Durante Durando	Means to last. It's abbreviation is 'Dante'.
Ferrari Ferraro Ferrero	Blacksmith.
Franci Francescato Francescotti	People who were inhabitants of France.
Forte Fortis	People who are strong.
Gabriele Gabrieli	Derived from the Hebrew name Gabbri'el were 'gabar' means strong while Elhoim means God.
Galante Galanti	Derived from the French word 'Galant' which means someone who is in love or someone who loves to have fun.
Giorgi Giorgielli Giorgino	People who were farmers.
Giordano	The name has been derived from the Jordan River.
Malandra	Scoundrel or vivacious person.
Mancinelli Mancini	Left-handed person.
Rocchelli	Derived from the word 'Rocca' which means rock.
Rosa Rosello Rosetti	Derived from the word 'Rosa' which means rose. These are popular Italian names.
Rossi Rossa	Person with red hair.
Tiberi Tiberio	Someone born or living near the river Tiber.
Zucchhero Zucaro	Sweet or good person.

These are some of the common last names from Italy which you will hear quite frequently. There are of course many other Italian last names besides these, each with its own source or origin. You can also learn more about some of the most common male and female Italian names too. These meanings will surely help you to know what your or your Italian friend's surname actually means.