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Surnames in Sicily, Italy

Sicilia region 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 Sicilia

Agrigento | Caltanissetta | Catania | Enna | Messina | Palermo | Ragusa | Siracusa | Trapani
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Surnames in the Italian Regions
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Surnames in the province of

Common Surnames

    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

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.