Surnames in Piemonte, Italy

Torino

• Updates: Osasio | Barone Canavese | Pratiglione | Salerano Canavese | Borgiallo

Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

• Updates: Vanzone con San Carlo | Miazzina | Madonna del Sasso |Bognanco | Ceppo Morelli

Vercelli

• Updates: Costanzana | Albano Vercellese | Guardabosone | Rima San Giuseppe | Pertengo

Common Surnames

• over 9000: Ferrero;
• between 5000 and 8999: Bruno, Ferrari, Gallo, Giordano, Rosso, Rossi
• between 2900 and 4999: Barberis, Barbero, Bianco, Cerutti, Colombo, Costa, Ferraris, Grosso, Marino, Musso, Negro, Russo, Serra

Origin of Surnames

The most common surnames in Piemonte are can be classified in three categories: surnames common all over Italy, autochthonous of the North-Western area of Italy, and those of immigrants from Southern Italy.
• Among the typical, traditional surnames of the region are: Barale, Dalmasso, Dutto, Giraudo; also, some typical patronymic surnames have German suffixes as "-aldo/i" - Gastaldo, Giribaldi, Grimaldi, Rinaldi - and "-audo/i": Arnaudo, Baudino, Einaudi, Giraudo, Rinaudo.
• Surnames derived from nicknames are common, especially in the singular form: Bruno, Gamba, Grosso, Grasso, Leone, Negro, Ricci, Testa.
• Also common are surnames derived from names of animals - possibly connected to some physical or behavioural feature of an ancestor: Bo (from bove= ox), Bracco (= hound), Capra (=goat), Cavallo (=horse), Fasano (=pheasant), Gallo (=rooster), Grillo (= cricket), Lupo (= wolf), Merlo (=blackbird), Mosca (=fly), Pesce (= fish), Quaglia (= quail), Volpe (= fox).
• Other surnames are derived from plants and were possibly connected to a place or some feature: Bosco (= forest), Fiore (= flower), Fenoglio (= fennel), Prato (= meadow).
• In Piemonte surnames derived from professions typically take the suffix "-ero" instead of "-aro" or "-aio" as in other areas of Italy; the most common are Ferrero and derivatives as Ferraris, Ferraro, Ferreri, Ferri, Ferro, from the blacksmith's craft; also Barbero (= barber), Beccaria (= butcher), Boero (= cowman), Bottero (= wine-barrel maker, cooper), Cavallero (= horse breeder or dealer), Cravero (= goatsman), Cordero (= rope maker), Olivero (= olive farmer), Panero (= baker).