Surnames in Sicily, Italy
The lists of surnames were derived from the white pages of the 1990's for the recent lists, and from sources as indexes of births, "numerazioni", catasti onciari, parish records for previous centuries. Surnames in the Provinces of Sicily
Common Surnames
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The most common surnames in Sicily are:
- over 5000: Russo;
- 3,000-4,000: Caruso, Lombardo, Marino, Messina, Rizzo;
- 2,000-3,000: Amato, Arena, Costa, Grasso, Greco, Romano, Parisi, Puglisi, La Rosa, Vitale;
- 1,500-2,000: Bruno, Catalano, Pappalardo, Randazzo.
- See also Wikipedia's page
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Sections on Italian Genealogy
Surnames Divided by Region
Abruzzo | Basilicata | Calabria | Campania | Emilia‑Romagna | Friuli‑Venezia Giulia | Lazio | Liguria | Lombardia | Marche | Molise | Piemonte | Puglia | Sardegna | Sicilia | Toscana | Trentino‑Alto Adige | Umbria | Valle d'Aosta | Veneto
Info on Italian Regions
Abruzzo | Basilicata | Calabria | Campania | Emilia‑Romagna | Friuli‑Venezia Giulia | Latium | Liguria | Lombardy | Marche | Molise | Piedmont | Puglia | Sardinia | Sicily | Tuscany | Trentino‑Alto Adige | Umbria | Valle d'Aosta | Veneto
Recent Additions
- Province of Agrigento: Grotte | Cammarata | Santo Stefano Quisquina | Lampedusa | Realmonte
- Province of Caltanissetta: Santa Caterina Villarmosa | Sommatino | Serradifalco | Butera | Acquaviva Platani
- Province of Catania: Valverde | Linguaglossa | Calatabiano | Castiglione di Sicilia | San Pietro Clarenza
- Province of Enna: Aidone | Assoro | Catenanuova | Cerami | Gagliano Castelferrato
- Province of Messina: Sinagra | Castel di Lucio | Cesarò | San Marco d'Alunzio | Gualtieri Sicaminò
- Province of Palermo: Villafrati | Palazzo Adriano | Torretta | Vicari | Mezzojuso
- Province of Ragusa: Acate
- Province of Siracusa: Sortino | Buccheri | Canicattini Bagni | Ferla | Solarino
- Province of Trapani: Custonaci | Buseto Palizzolo | Favignana | Vita
Origin of Surnames
As regards their origin, Sicilian surnames reflect the presence of multiple cultures, languages and influences, but also share common features with the rest of Southern Italy; indeed, many surnames are also common in Calabria (Caruso, Lombardo, Marino, Rizzo), Puglia (Giuffrida, Greco, Longo) and Campania (Bruno, Ferrara, Giordano, Marino, Romano, Russo).
- The most common patronymics are Basile, Di Mauro, Di Salvo, Di Stefano, Giuffrida, Leonardi, Orlando, Vitale.
- Others derive from medieval names, mostly augural, such as Bellomo, Bonaccorso, Bonanno, Bonfiglio, Bongiorno, Bonsignore.
- Among the surnames derived from crafts we have Balistreri (=crossbow maker), Cannizzaro (=thatched roof maker), Cammareri (=waiter), Cavallaro, Ferraro, Finocchiaro (=farmer of fennels), Impellizzeri (=fur maker), Maniscalco, Scuderi (=squire), Spadaro - Spataro (=sword maker), Vaccaro.
- Surnames derived from nicknames are Mancuso (=left-handed), Occhipinti (=painted eyes), Pappalardo (=lard eater), Quattrocchi (=four eyed).
- Common surnames related to the place of origin are Calabrese, Catalano, Cosentino, Genovese, Provenzano, Puglisi, Toscano, Tarantino.
- Finally, there are surnames given to foundlings, such as Di Dio or Trovato, and matronymics (connected to an ancestress) such as Alessandra, Emma, Greca.