Surnames in Italian. Italian surnames
We owe the very existence of the surname to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but the surname became obligatory only inXVII century in Italy. And since then, the unbridled Italian fantasy could no longer be restrained: after curious Italian names like "Eighth", "Wild" or "Impeccable", the inhabitants of the Apennines can boast of surnames to match them!
But first small digression into history. In ancient Rome, the surname was first used to distinguish between two people with the same name. The surname could echo the name of a person, indicate the area where he comes from, or remind you of characteristic features his appearance, including defects. So, Marco Tullio Cicero was called Cicero because he had a beard on his nose, Ovid was called "Nosyara", and Plato's surname could be interpreted as "Flat feet" or "Long Ears".
In modern Italy, only 15 percent of surnames indicate some kind of physical characteristics its owner; about 35 percent are a reference to the name of the father or founder of the clan, another 35 percent are reminiscent of the name hometown, village or locality, 10 percent are somehow connected with a profession, craft, position or title, 3 percent of foreign origin, and the remaining 2 percent is a wish-surname given to the foundlings.
Two of the most common surnames in Italy are Rossi and Bianchi, "Red" and "White". Even in textbooks of the Italian language, these two signoras appear in the first texts and dialogues. Rossi and numerous variants of this surname (Rosso, Rossa, Russi, de Rossi, De Russi, Ruggiu, and even Russian!) are nothing more than a reference to the red-haired ancestor of the clan. Bianchi and variants of this surname, of course, indicate a blond or simply fair-haired and fair-skinned person. And the inhabitants of the Apennines with the surnames Nero or Negro (and derivatives Negri, Negrini , Negroni) ancestors must have been painfully swarthy and black-haired.
But in such high-profile Italian surnames Ferrari and Ferrè, well-known in Russia, there is nothing more than the profession of a blacksmith! By the way, the ancestors of the first Italians by the name of Magnani were also blacksmiths, because in the Milanese dialect magnan is just a "blacksmith" or "tinker".
Another common in Bel Paese, especially in the south of the country, the surname Esposito goes back to the word "esposto", that is, "abandoned", "abandoned". It is not difficult to guess that this surname was given to foundlings, babies left at the doors of churches or on the threshold of houses. A similar surname, Degli Esposti, was worn by those children who were brought up in orphanages and shelters, in Italian "homes of the abandoned", that is, degli esposti.
But Casadei and Incerti, in some way synonyms for the above-mentioned Esposito, are more common in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. They interpret the theme of orphanhood differently: here Casadei means "house of god" (casa di dio), and Incerti is translated as "unknown father", from the medieval Latin incertis patris. In Lazio, a region whose capital is Rome, the surname Proietto or Proietti, derived from the Italianized term proiectus, is very common, and was also given to foundlings. In southern Sicily and northern Piedmont, abandoned babies were given a surname like Ignoto, D "Ignoti, D" Ignoto, which in Italian means "child of the unknown", and very common in the northern regions of Italy, especially in Tuscany and Lombardy, the surname Innocenti ( or alternatively Innocente) means "innocent". And the surname Trovato, "found", typical of Sicily and Lombardy, leaves no doubt about its origin.
Do you also get the impression that almost all Italian surnames were given to children abandoned by their parents? But let's not talk about sad things, there are very funny surnames in Italy!
Here, for example, Portafoglio ("purse"), Sanguedolce (" sweet blood"), Quattrocchi ("four eyes"), Diecidue ("ten two"), Spione ("spy"), Spazzolini ("brushes"), Basta ("basta, that's enough") or Gratis ("free"). and surnames-geographical names that do not even need to be translated: Berlin, London, Madrid, Australia, Francia, Russia.
The names of Italians are characterized by a peculiar manner, emotions that are overflowing with special charm, luxury and originality. You can learn all the most interesting about the names of Italians from this article.
30.08.2016 / 14:27 | Varvara Pokrovskaya
Italy, like its inhabitants, is known to the world for its craving for beauty. The state has its own unique cultural heritage, whose traditions are strictly observed by many Italians. Among cultural rules proper names stand out.
Features of Italian names
The nicknames of Italians are rooted in history ancient rome. At the first stage of the birth of nicknames, they were the names given to people for certain external features, character, professional quality. Before today parents prefer old names popular for several centuries. Nicknames with Roman roots include the following: Cesare, Pietro, Luciano. Depending on the locality the sound of the words can have significant differences. For example, in the northern regions, instead of the standard "G", "Z" is pronounced. Also, the nicknames of Italians contain elements taken from the German tribes, which over time began to be used as surnames.
Family traditions
Italians have a number of traditions. One of them is to give female babies the titles of the eldest women in the family. Moreover, it did not depend on whether the relative was alive or not. The eldest daughter in the family was given the name of the grandmother, the second child - the mother, the next child - aunts and great aunts. In some parts of Italy, girls are still given the names of recently departed family women. Thus, the Italians adhere to traditions, show good attitude to the family.
Names for baptism
Italians adhere to the Catholic faith, and the baptism procedure has great value. Catholic Church advises giving a Christian nickname to the baby. That is, the one that is in the holy calendar. If a young family wishes to name a child with a name that is not in the Catholic calendar, then the name of a saint can be added to it, for example, Hyada Macdalena, Aida Maria. Unlike the laws in force in the country, church rules allow you to name the child any number of names - each of them will be indicated in the certificate that is issued after baptism. However, a maximum of 3 names are allowed on the birth document. In this regard, a situation is common when in the family circle a person is called not by the nickname indicated in the passport, but by the name given at baptism.
How is the naming of the child
About four centuries ago in Italy there was a interesting tradition children's names. The first-born male was given the nickname of the grandfather of the male line. When a representative of the weaker half was born first in the family, she was named after her grandmother on her father's side. The second children were given the nicknames of the older generation after the mother's family. The following kids were honored to bear the titles of their parents.
Many names in Italy that girls are called today are derived from the nicknames of saints. Words may be original or modified. Some of the nicknames arose during the period of the conquest of Italy by the Normans, others - by changing the names of men, others came from the titles of royal persons, for example, Marquis, Regina, etc.
Some of the nicknames are given because of the features of appearance, character and other qualities: Bianca (light), Allegra (cheerful), Elettra (brilliant).
Also in Italy, nicknames borrowed from other peoples are popular. This is easily explained big amount emigrants, famous heroes of world literature, music, films, politicians, representatives of show business.
Male Italian names
The demand for male nicknames depends on many factors:
- The area where the baby was born;
- Family fantasies;
- fashion trends.
It is fashion that has a great influence on the names of men. For example, many parents give kids the nicknames of athletes, movie stars, in other areas, children are named after saints.
The institute of statistics, established at the beginning of the 20th century, operates in the state. One of the main tasks of the institution is to collect information about the names of babies. According to the collected data, the most popular names for men are: Francesco, Alessandro, Andrea Matteo, Lorenzo Gabriel, Mattia, Ricardo, David, Luca, Leonardo Federico, Marco, Giuseppe, Tommaso, Antonio Giovanni Alessio, Filippo, Diego, Daniel, Peter , Eduardo, Emmanuel Michel.
Often parents have an enviable imagination, trying to give the baby an original, rare nickname. But not always a young man with such a name easily passes the tests given by life. Fortunately, in the desire of the family to give the baby unusual name the authorities can refuse if they decide that this nickname can play with a person bad joke. Therefore, inventive moms and dads should think carefully before giving a child a particular name.
Italian names and surnames
Surnames first appeared in Venice at the turn of the 10th century. The first documented case is recorded with the mention of the name Orseolo. Its ancestors were the brothers Dominicus and Petrus. The descendants of these people are also named. This a prime example family name that is passed down every generation.
But there were differences between the strata of society. Permanent surnames had the right to bear only families from higher strata society. A person without privileges was the bearer of only a nickname. If identification was required, the phrases “daughter of such and such”, “from such and such a kind”, “from the city” were added to the name. Similar situation observed until the 16th century. By the way, most of famous people of that time, for example, artists did not have surnames.
Italian names for little women are varied. Girls are named after relatives, saints and give them fashionable nicknames. Among all, it is worth paying attention to names that end in vowels - they have a certain meaning.
If you are in search original name, if you want to avoid a boring and too popular nickname, pay attention to:
- Alba - dawn;
- Arabella - prayer;
- Gabriela - divine, strong;
- Bonfiliya - kind daughter;
- Giuditta - praised;
- Leah - dependent;
- Allegra - happiness;
- Domitilla is responsible.
Italian boy names
The names of Italian citizens, according to tradition, are given by the nicknames of the ancestors on the paternal line. Studies conducted in this area show that moms and dads today prefer fashionable, beautiful names. Many nicknames for the stronger sex have Roman origin. The oldest can be found in myths.
To popular Italian names for boys include:
- Valentino - strong, bursting with health;
- Valerio - strong;
- Wenceslas - famous;
- Dorieno - originally from the Doric tribe;
- Drago - dragon;
- Duilayo - war;
- Damien - majestic.
In Italy, as in other countries, they use a large number of names, and many of them are beautiful and concise, harmoniously combined with surnames. In many states, Italian nicknames are rightfully considered a model of charm.
Some of the most popular Italian names are:
- Adrian;
- Isabel;
- Angelica;
- Vittoria;
- Gabriella
- Letitia;
- Dolphin;
- Marcella;
- Paola;
- Francesca.
To the beautiful male names can be counted:
- Adolfo;
- Gasparo;
- Gino;
- Giuliano;
- Oscar;
- Sandro;
- Ernesto.
Names for girls are very melodic, easy to pronounce. Men's nicknames are no less attractive, for example, the notorious name Leonardo, which means "like a lion." Valentino - "all-powerful, possessing limitless power." The inhabitants of Italy themselves prefer such nicknames as Antonio - "priceless", Luciano - "light". The last name has been fashionable in the country for several decades. Less commonly, a boy may be nicknamed Pascal, which translates as "born for Easter." They call the kids and the name Romeo - "traveling to Rome."
Whatever name the Italians prefer, any of them is melodious, wears hidden meaning, which is believed to help its owner achieve success both in family life as well as in the professional field. When giving names to their children, parents often name their babies with a word that denotes character traits and enhances the best of them. The name for an Italian is a kind of talisman that accompanies him throughout his life and protects him from all sorts of troubles.
As statistics show, Italy has a huge list of names - there are about 17,000 of them. Their appearance was especially active in the years when cinema began to develop rapidly. Then dads and moms were happy to name the kids with the names of their favorite characters. Nicknames changed over time, became longer or, conversely, shorter, other names or their parts were added to the words. As an example, we can use reliable information that at the beginning of the 20th century, many newborn girls received the nickname Fedora (the heroine of the then famous play). In the 30s, Italians were attracted by the nicknames Selvadzha (rebel), Liberia (free and self-sufficient).
IN last years a list of names has been formed that are called baby boys:
- Alessandro and Andrea
- Francesco and Matteo;
- Gabriele and Lorenzo.
The above names come from ancient Rome, and today are considered native Italian.
With names for girls, things are different. Demanded are those that are borrowed in other cultures. Families choose the following nicknames: George, Julie, Chiara. There are also Roman nicknames: Aurora, Paolo, Martina.
It is worth mentioning that in recent years there has been an increase in the trend of changing nicknames. Often young people realize that the names given by their parents do not suit them, so they choose new ones that are among the fashionable, beautiful and harmonious.
select a country and click on it - a page with lists of popular names will openColosseum in Rome
State in southern Europe. The capital is Rome. The population is about 61 million (2011). 93.52% are Italians. Other ethnic groups- French (2%); Romanians (1.32%), Germans (0.5%), Slovenes (0.12%), Greeks (0.03%), Albanians (0.17%), Turks, Azerbaijanis. Official language- Italian. Regional status are: German (in Bolzano and South Tyrol), Slovenian (in Gorizia and Trieste), French (in the Aosta Valley).
Approximately 98% of the population professes Catholicism. The center of the Catholic world, the city-state of the Vatican, is located on the territory of Rome. In 1929–1976 Catholicism was considered state religion. Followers of Islam - 1 million 293 thousand 704 people. The third most widespread religion is Orthodoxy (1 million 187 thousand 130 followers, their number has grown due to the Romanians). The number of Protestants is 547,825 people.
Identification official statistics Names in Italy are handled by the National Institute of Statistics (Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, ISTAT). It was created in 1926 to collect information about the population. This institute organizes population censuses in Italy, collects operational statistics. including the most common names newborns. On the website of the institute, you can find data on the 30 most popular names newborn Italian citizens - separately for boys and girls. For each name, the absolute frequency and the relative frequency (percentage of named) are given. In a separate column (third in a row), cumulative statistics are given (in %). On the website of the institute, the earliest statistics by name refers to 2007.
I will show the 30 most common names of boys and girls born in the families of Italian citizens in 2011-2013. Data for several years is given to show the dynamics of preferences in the sphere of personal names. More up-to-date data is not yet available.
Boys names
Place 2013 2012 2011 1 Francesco Francesco Francesco 2 Alessandro Alessandro Alessandro 3 Andrea Andrea Andrea 4 Lorenzo Lorenzo Lorenzo 5 Mattia Matteo Matteo 6 Matteo Mattia Gabrielle 7 Gabrielle Gabrielle Mattia 8 Leonardo Leonardo Leonardo 9 Riccardo Riccardo Davide 10 Tommaso Davide Riccardo 11 Davide Tommaso Federico 12 Giuseppe Giuseppe Luca 13 Antonio Marco Giuseppe 14 Federico Luca Marco 15 Marco Federico Tommaso 16 Samuele Antonio Antonio 17 Luca Simone Simone 18 Giovanni Samuele Samuele 19 Pietro Pietro Giovanni 20 Diego Giovanni Pietro 21 Simone Filippo Christian 22 Edoardo Alessio Nicolo" 23 Christian Edoardo Alessio 24 Nicolo" Diego Edoardo 25 Filippo Christian Diego 26 Alessio Nicolo" Filippo 27 Emanuele Gabriel Emanuele 28 Michele Emanuele Danielle 29 Gabriel Christian Michele 30 Danielle Michele Christian Girls names
Place 2013 2012 2011 1 Sofia Sofia Sofia 2 Giulia Giulia Giulia 3 Aurora George Martina 4 Emma Martina George 5 George Emma Sara 6 Martina Aurora Emma 7 Chiara Sara Aurora 8 Sara Chiara Chiara 9 Alice Gaia Alice 10 Gaia Alice Alessia 11 Greta Anna Gaia 12 Francesca Alessia Anna 13 Anna Viola Francesca 14 Ginevra Noemi Noemi 15 Alessia Greta Viola 16 Viola Francesca Greta 17 Noemi Ginevra Elisa 18 Matilde Matilde Matilde 19 Vittoria Elisa Giada 20 Beatrice Vittoria Elena 21 Elisa Giada Ginevra 22 Giada Beatrice Beatrice 23 Nicole Elena Vittoria 24 Elena Rebecca Nicole 25 Arianna Nicole Arianna 26 Rebecca Arianna Rebecca 27 Martha Melissa Martha 28 Melissa Ludovica Angelica 29 Maria Martha Asia 30 Ludovica Angelica Ludovica
What associations do we have when we hear such names as, for example, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Christopher Columbus, Maria Medici, Adriano Celentano, Girdgio Armani, Gianni Versace? .. This list can be continued indefinitely, and we know that under all these names and surnames famous recognized people Italy. People who in many ways changed the world and ideas, gave it art and theories. But do we think at such moments about what these names really mean? For us, foreigners, they sound very melodic and poetic, beautiful and mysterious. Not at all the way we hear the names Kozlovsky, Sidorov, Dudko, Morozov, etc. Although, of course, no one denies that for foreigners they can also sound poetic. But each surname, like almost any word, has its own history, etymology, origin. And today, when we are all in a hurry somewhere, and on TV they show only about the stars of show business, it is very interesting.
The science that studies surnames and their origin is called onomastics and its subcategory anthroponymy. It is anthroponymy that we owe knowledge of the origin of names and surnames, and therefore, knowledge of how our ancestors lived, what they did, what they were, because we now bear their names.
A bit of history
Italians, as usual, did not always have surnames. The origin of surnames in the XIV is due to the great confusion of people associated with huge amount the same names. Population growth has made it clear that all the names for all people cannot be enough. Therefore, it became necessary to give a middle name, that is, a surname (as we see, even now there are dozens of people who have the same name and surname, and sometimes even a patronymic). The first surnames appeared in Venice. Then they spread throughout Italy and soon became the general norm for designating people. At birth, the child was given not only a name, but also a surname.
But how did people come up with them? Surnames were just taken from the air or did they have any meaning? Did people rack their brains, or did the ideas come to them immediately?
Etymology
The origin of Italian surnames has a very interesting basis. Many of the oldest Italian surnames are still carried by ordinary Italians. The understanding of etymology has long been erased, if the average Italian, of course, is not interested in anthroponymy. But often Italians know their family tree and pass on knowledge to their descendants. Italians are very patriotic and loyal to their homeland and its culture, so you are unlikely to find any manifestations of the cultures of other peoples there.
The main sources of origin of Italian surnames:
a) surnames that have stems from the names of fathers, sometimes mothers. We also have, for example, the surnames Ivanov, Petrov, that is, the one who belongs to Ivan, Peter. Only Italians will have such a surname consisting of two words, for example, Raffaello di Francesco, where Raffaello is the name, di is the word for "from", Francesco is the name of the father. Thus, it turned out literally: Raffaello from Francesco, which in rough translation can mean “Raffaello son of Francesco.” The word “di” is extremely common in Italian surnames, now we know why and what it means. Sometimes, in almost the same way, surnames were created that carried part of the father's name, and part of the grandfather's name.
b) surnames that have the basis of the name of professions. Even now, family workshops and small businesses are quite common among Italians. That is, only relatives of one family work there. It was the same way before, in ancient times. And people were assigned certain surnames that would characterize them according to their occupation. Just as we, for example, have the surnames Kuznetsov or Bondar, so the Italians have a surname, for example, Ghirlandaio, which means “dealing with wreaths”, that is, we can assume that this person is a gardener.
c) surnames that have the basis of the names of geographical places. It could be a place of residence, birth, craft, which the clan was engaged in. It can be the name of a city, village, river, valley, etc. We also have analogues of such surnames, for example, Alexander Nevsky. So among Italians at the moment the surname of Lombardy is very common, which came from the name quite famous city in Italy.
d) surnames that have stems from words that describe certain concepts, phenomena, characters, features of the person who was endowed with it. Well, for example, we have the surnames Usov, Bolshov, Handsome, etc. In the same way, the Italians were given surnames according to some specific characteristics. For example, Paolo Carino - Paolo the Dear, or Antonio Gobbo - Antonio the Hunchbacked. Some of these surnames could change: mix with others, receive other suffixes and prefixes.
e) surnames that were given to children without parents, foundlings. The most common surname in this category is Esposito, which literally translates as "abandoned". We also have an analogue of such surnames, however, there are very few of them, for example, Nameless.
Thus, having studied the etymology of surnames, one can even trace what the ancestors were like, where they came from and what they did. Or maybe they were all foundlings and orphans.
But the carriers of etymology are not only the bases of surnames, but also prefixes and suffixes.
Suffixes:
a) diminutives: -illo, -etti, -ini, -ino. They are all designed to downplay the foundation.
b) exaggerating: -acchio, -uchchi.
Prefixes (prepositions):
a) to denote belonging to the clan, the father, the word di is used, as already mentioned.
b) the preposition yes is sometimes used to indicate belonging to a certain area. It's impossible not to remember the famous Leonardo da Vinci.
c) to refer to people from other countries, the prepositions lo and la are used.
When people realized what a variety of surnames and nicknames can be given to people, while modifying them in different ways, they reduced the number of names. Therefore, when we hear about Italians, first of all we hear such names as Francesco, Alberto, Antonio, Bernardo, Maria, Anna, Angelo, Paolo, Michelle, Bruno, Rosa, Teresa, Laura. The Italians do not claim to have a wealth of names, they are satisfied with the minimum that exists, but they can boast of a variety of surnames.
One of the most famous Italians in Russia - the architect Aristotle Fioravanti, who built the Assumption Cathedral, a brick factory and a Cannon Yard in Moscow. Perhaps the name Fryanovo is connected with it. And, accordingly, the name Fryanov.
Another famous Italian architect was Pietro Antonio Solari. From 1490 to 1493 he supervised the construction of the walls, towers and other buildings of the Kremlin. The surname Solari in Russia was transformed into Solarev.
The surname Chicherin is well known in Russia. Revolutionary Georgy Chicherin from 1918 to 1923 served as Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. Founder noble family Chicherins was the interpreter (translator) Athanasius Chicherini, who arrived in Rus' in the retinue of the Byzantine princess and future Grand Duchess Sophia Paleolog. Chicherini, by the way, is one of the ancestors of A.S. Pushkin. And "the cunning Fryazhsky husband Zakhar Tutchev" is related to the genealogy of another Russian poet, Fyodor Tyutchev.
The Italian surname Rossi is also associated with Russia. The largest Russian Empire architect Carlo Rossi (1775-1849), the son of an Italian ballerina, was born in St. Petersburg, although he studied architecture in Italy. He is the author of many projects, including the three front squares of St. Petersburg - Palace, Admiralteyskaya and Senatskaya. However, the surname Rossi is still Italian and, by the way, means "Red".
The surname Pikuza appeared in Russia after Patriotic War 1812. In fact, this is a Russified version of the surname Pikuzo. It was worn by Italian gypsies, whose descendants now live in the south of Russia, in particular, in the Krasnodar Territory.
