150+ Common Italian Last Names + Meanings

Italy is not only renowned for its food, art, history, and landscapes, but also for its surnames that have unique and culturally-rich meanings. Italian surnames have a lot to say about someone’s family history, like where their ancestors came from, what job they held, and what they were like. Whether you have Italian ancestry and are curious about your last name, or you’re creating a character with Italian roots, we’ve compiled a list of common and unique surnames for you to check out below!

Our Favorite Italian Surnames

Common: Rossi, Russo, Ferrari, Esposito
Patronymic: Alberti, De Luca, Martini, Moretti
Occupational: Barbieri, Cattaneo, Pesci, Zappa
Toponymic: Fontana, Lombardi, Messina, Milano

Section 1 of 11:

Common Italian Surnames

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Some Italian last names, like Ferrari, are more popular than others. Around the mid-1500s, Italians started to use and record their surnames.^{[1]
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Research source} Now, there are thousands of Italian last names! However, some names are more common than others—here are the top 15 surnames in Italy:^{[2]
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- Rossi - refers to someone with red hair or a reddish complexion.^{[3]
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- Russo - a variation of Rossi.^{[4]
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- Ferrari - a variation of Ferraro, which means “blacksmith.”
- Esposito - means “exposed.” This was historically given to abandoned children.
- Bianchi - means “white.” It refers to someone with light hair or a light complexion.
- Colombo - means “dove.” This was historically given to orphaned children.
- Romano - means “from Rome.”
- Bruno - means “brown.” It refers to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.^{[5]
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- Ricci - means “curly.”
- Marino - means “of the sea.”^{[6]
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- Costa - means “coast.”
- Gallo - means “rooster.”
- Conti - means “count,” as in a nobleman.
- Greco - means “Greek.”
- Giordano - refers to the Jordan River.

Section 2 of 11:

Patronymic Italian Last Names

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These last names, like D’Angelo, are based on a male ancestor’s name. Many surnames in Italy are patronymic, meaning that they stem from a father’s or other male ancestor’s first name.^{[7]
X
Research source} These names often end in “-i” or “-o” and mean “son of.” Below are some of the more common patronymic surnames:^{[8]
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- Alberti - means “son of Alberto.”
- Agosti - means “son of Agostino,” which refers to someone born in August.
- D’Amico - means “of Amico” or “from the friend.”
- D’Angelo - means “son of Angelo” or “from the angel.”
- De Luca - means “of Luke.”
- DiMaggio - means “of Maggio,” which refers to someone born in May.
- Carlini - means “son of Carlo.”
- Giovanelli - means “son of Giovanni.”
- Martini - means “son of Martino.”
- Moretti - means “son of Mauro.”
- Nicoletti - means “son of Nicola.”
- Pedretti - means “son of Pietro (Peter)”
- Ricardi - means “son of Ricardo.”
- Simonelli - means “son of Simon.”
- Valentini - means “son of Valentino.”

Section 3 of 11:

Occupational Italian Last Names

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Many Italian surnames, like Bonetti, are based on an ancestor’s profession. Hundreds of years ago, many Italians were given surnames based on their occupation to help identify their skills or trade. Some of the surnames originating from a profession or trade include:^{[9]
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- Abate - means “priest.”^{[10]
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- Barbieri - means “barber.”
- Bonetti - means “hatmaker.”
- Cacciatore - means “huntsman.”
- Cattaneo - means “captain.”
- Cavaleri - means “knight.”
- Fabbri - means “craftsman.”
- Farina - means “miller” or “flour.”
- Giudice - means “judge.”
- Magnani/Magnano - means “locksmith.”
- Pescatore/Pesci - means “fisherman.”
- Sartori/Sartoris - means “tailor.”
- Tagliabue - means “butcher” or “ox-chopper.”
- Tessaro - means “weaver.”
- Zappa - means “farmer” or “laborer.”

Section 4 of 11:

Toponymic Italian Last Names

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These last names, like Monti, are based on locations or landscapes. Another popular naming convention in Italy was to give surnames based on where someone was born or where they lived. This includes towns and regions in Italy, as well as geographic landmarks like fields, mountains, or bodies of water. Some popular toponymic surnames are:^{[11]
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- Calabrese - means “from Calabria” or “Calabrian,” a southwestern region in Italy.
- Fiore/Fiorentino - means “flower” or “flowering.”
- Fontana - means “fountain” or “spring.”
- Lombardi - means “from Lombardy,” a northern region in Italy.
- Messina - means “from Messina,” a city in Sicily.
- Milano - means “from Milan,” a city in northern Italy.
- Monti - means “mountain.”
- Palermo - means “from Palermo,” a city in Sicily.
- Parisi - can mean “from Paris, France” or “from Paros, Greece.”
- Riva - means “near the riverbank or shore.”
- Serra - can mean “mountain range,” “a view from a high place,” or “greenhouse.”
- Silvestri - means “woods” or “forest.”
- Sorrento - means “from Sorrento,” a city in southwestern Italy.
- Tarantino - means “from Taranto,” a city in southern Italy.
- Villa - means “country estate.”

Section 5 of 11:

Italian Last Names Based on Physical Traits

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Lots of Italian surnames, like Longo, are based on an ancestor’s features. In many cases, if someone had a strong or unique physical trait, they were given a last name that described how they looked. Some of the more common surnames based on physical traits include:^{[12]
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- Argento - means “silver,” likely referring to silver or light hair.
- Bellagamba - means “beautiful leg.”
- Bernardi - refers to someone as strong as a bear.
- Bianco - means “white” and refers to someone with light hair or a light complexion.
- Caruso - means “close-cropped hair,” “bald,” or “boy” (often referring to an apprentice).
- Coppola - refers to someone who frequently wore a coppola, which is a little round hat.
- De Niro - means “black” and refers to someone with dark hair.
- Grasso - means “fat” or “stout.”
- Guilani - means “youthful.”
- Longo - means “tall.”
- Mancini - means “left-handed.”
- Manzo - means “resembling an ox.”
- Morelli - refers to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
- Pelosi - means “hairy.”
- Testa - means “head.” It can refer to someone with a large head or who is very smart.

Section 6 of 11:

Italian Last Names Based on Personality Traits

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Many Italian surnames, like Leto, describe an ancestor’s character. Similar to physical traits, many people were given surnames tied to a strong personality trait they exemplified. Here are some of the popular surnames based on personality traits:^{[13]
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- Accardi - means “bold” or “brave.”
- Barone - means “brave” or refers to a baron.
- Benedetti - means “blessed.”
- Donatelli - means “gifted.”
- Gatti - means “cat,” referring to someone cunning and agile.
- Leone - means “brave or fierce warrior” and comes from the Italian word for lion.
- Leto - means “happy” or “joyful.”
- Mariano - means “warlike” and refers to Mars, the Roman god of war.
- Pavone - means “peacock,” referring to someone flashy or cocky.
- Pellegrino - means “pilgrim,” referring to someone who goes on pilgrimages.
- Perrone - means “rock,” referring to someone stable and reliable.
- Valentino - means “strong and healthy.”
- Vitale/Vitali - means “life,” referring to someone lively and vivacious.
- Vittorio/Vittore - means “victor” or “victorious.”
- Volpe - means “fox,” referring to someone clever.

Section 7 of 11:

Italian-Sicilian Last Names

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Lots of surnames originated in and are popular in Sicily, like Gambino. Italy is made up of 20 distinct and diverse regions, one of which is Sicily. Sicily is unique as it is a southern island off the “toe” of the country with its own dialect (Sicilian) and cultural influences. Some common Sicilian surnames include:^{[14]
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- Arena - means “sandy place.”
- Barbagallo - means “rooster’s beard” or “wattle.”
- Biondi - means “blonde.”
- Bivona - means “from Bivona,” a region in Sicily.
- Bottaro - means “barrel maker.”
- Cavallaro - means “horse rider” or “horse dealer.”
- Di Dio - means “of God.”
- Finocchiaro - means “fennel seller or producer.”
- Gambino - refers to someone with short legs.
- Giuffrida - means “of Gioffre.”
- Ingrassia - means “belonging to the family of Grassia.”
- Occhipinti - means “painted eyes.” It can refer to someone with dark lashes or bloodshot eyes.
- Pappalardo - means “lard-eater.”
- Privitera - means “wife of a priest.”
- Savoca - means “of Savoca,” a region in Sicily.
- Note: Other common Sicilian names include Russo, Greco, Marino, and Messina.

Section 8 of 11:

Beautiful Italian Last Names

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Many Italian last names, like Bella, have lovely and romantic meanings. As the country of love and romance, it’s no surprise that countless Italian surnames sound beautiful and have enchanting meanings. Here are just a few of these dreamy and romantic last names:^{[15]
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- Acquaviva - means “spring” or “running water.”
- Allegro - means “lively and cheerful.”
- Altamura - means “of Altamura,” a city in Italy, or “high walls.”
- Amante - means “lover.”
- Ballerini - means “dancer.”
- Bella - means “beautiful.”
- Corrente - means “stream” or “flowing.”
- D’Amore - means “love.”
- Fiorella - means “little flower.”
- Flammia - means “little flame.”
- Luciano - means “light.”
- Palma - means “palm tree” or “peace.”
- Rosa - means “rose.”
- Viola - means “violet.”
- Zara - means “orange flower” or “from Zadar,” a city in Croatia.

Section 9 of 11:

Unique and Rare Italian Last Names

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Check out these unique-sounding and uncommon surnames, like Zorzi. Because there are thousands of Italian last names, some are bound to be more rare than others. The surnames below definitely stand out from the crowd due to their unique sound and relative scarcity across Italy:
- Crollalanza - this might mean “spear that breaks.”
- Endrizzi - means “son of Enrico.”
- Iuzzolino - means “of Iuzzolo.”
- Pellicano - means “pelican.”
- Quintarelli - this may come from the word for “fifth” in Italian, quinta.
- Quarantotto - literally translates to “48.”
- Rospigliosi - this may refer to a type of frog.
- Schiappacasse - means “docker.”
- Scozzafava - means “someone who shells beans.”
- Tranquilli - means “calm” or “peaceful.”
- Terranova - means “new land.”
- Uggeri - means “son of Edgardo.”
- Ventola - means “fire fan.”
- Zorzi - means “son of Zorzo.”
- Zenone - means “Zeus.”

Section 10 of 11:

Wealthy-Sounding Italian Last Names

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Many surnames suggest wealth and elegance, like Castelli. Some Italian last names are associated with money and nobility, whether they belonged to powerful families (like the Medicis or Bevilacquas), luxury fashion houses, or simply refer to riches. Here are some fancy and wealthy-sounding surnames:^{[16]
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- Altieri - means “person who works with riches.”
- Antinori - means “strong.”
- Armani - means “son of Ermanno.”
- Bevilacqua - means “drinks water.”
- Boncompagni - means “good companion.”
- Castelli - means “castle.”
- Costamagna - means “large coast.”
- Costantini - means “steadfast.”
- D’Ambrosio - means “divine.”
- de’ Medici - literally translates to “doctor.”
- di Calabria - means “of Calabria,” a southwestern region in Italy.
- di Lampedusa - means “of Lampedusa,” an island of Italy.
- Fortunato - means “prosperous.”
- Prada - means “meadow.”
- Voltolini - means “of Valtellina,” a valley in Lombardy, Italy.

Section 11 of 11:

Common Italian-American Last Names

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Many popular Italian surnames are also common in America, like Conti. Millions of Italians have immigrated to America over the past few hundred years, leading to a sizable population of Americans with Italian ancestry—and Italian last names. In fact, nearly 16 million Americans report having Italian ancestry!^{[17]
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Go to source} So, Italians and Italian-Americans actually share a lot of the same surnames. Some of the most common Italian-American last names include:^{[18]
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- Bianchi - means “white.”
- Bruno - means “brown”^{[19]
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- Caruso - means “close-cropped hair.”
- Conti - means “count.”
- Espositio - means “exposed.”
- Ferrari - means “blacksmith.”
- Fontana - means “fountain.”
- Gallo - means “rooster.”
- Greco - means “Greek.”
- Lombardi - means “from Lombard.”
- Marino - means “of the sea.”
- Ricci - means “curly.”^{[20]
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- Rinaldi - means “son of Rinaldo.”
- Romano - means “from Rome.”
- Rosso - means “red” or “reddish.”