Italian Last Names: A Guide to Their Origins and Meanings

Looking for a unique and meaningful Italian last name? Italy boasts a rich history and diverse cultural heritage, reflected in its vast collection of surnames. These names often hold fascinating stories and deep connections to the country's geography, traditions, and past. This comprehensive list explores the origins and meanings of popular Italian last names, offering insights into the fascinating history behind each one.
1. **Abate:** meaning "abbot" or "father"
2. **Amato:** meaning "loved" or "beloved"
3. **Andreotti:** meaning "little Andrew"
4. **Angelini:** meaning "little angel"
5. **Anzalone:** meaning "alone" or "lonely"
6. **Armani:** meaning "Armenian"
7. **Aversa:** meaning "coming from Aversa" (a city in Campania)
8. **Baggio:** meaning "low place" or "marsh"
9. **Balestreri:** meaning "crossbowman"
10. **Barbera:** meaning "barber"
11. **Barone:** meaning "baron"
12. **Basile:** meaning "king"
13. **Bellini:** meaning "beautiful"
14. **Benini:** meaning "good"
15. **Bertolucci:** meaning "from Bertoluccio" (a place in Tuscany)
16. **Bianchi:** meaning "white"
17. **Bocelli:** meaning "from Bocello" (a place in Tuscany)
18. **Bonanno:** meaning "good year"
19. **Borghese:** meaning "from Borgo" (a place in Rome)
20. **Botticelli:** meaning "little barrel"
21. **Bruno:** meaning "brown"
22. **Calabrese:** meaning "from Calabria" (a region in southern Italy)
23. **Camilli:** meaning "young boy" or "servant"
24. **Caputo:** meaning "head" or "chief"
25. **Caruso:** meaning "dear" or "beloved"
26. **Casale:** meaning "house" or "farm"
27. **Castellani:** meaning "from the castle"
28. **Cattaneo:** meaning "cat owner"
29. **Cecchi:** meaning "blind"
30. **Celentano:** meaning "from Celentano" (a place in Abruzzo)
31. **Cerutti:** meaning "little deer"
32. **Chiaramonte:** meaning "clear mountain"
33. **Cimino:** meaning "from Cimino" (a place in Lazio)
34. **Colombo:** meaning "dove"
35. **Conti:** meaning "counts"
36. **Corsi:** meaning "from Corsica"
37. **Costa:** meaning "coast"
38. **D'Agostino:** meaning "Augustine's son"
39. **De Angelis:** meaning "of the angels"
40. **De Luca:** meaning "from the place of the wolf"
41. **Della Valle:** meaning "from the valley"
42. **Di Francesco:** meaning "son of Francis"
43. **Di Lorenzo:** meaning "son of Lawrence"
44. **Di Marco:** meaning "son of Mark"
45. **Di Matteo:** meaning "son of Matthew"
46. **Di Rossi:** meaning "son of Ross"
47. **Donati:** meaning "given" or "donated"
48. **Falco:** meaning "falcon"
49. **Ferrari:** meaning "blacksmith"
50. **Ferretti:** meaning "little blacksmith"
51. **Fiore:** meaning "flower"
52. **Fiorentino:** meaning "from Florence"
53. **Fontana:** meaning "fountain"
54. **Forte:** meaning "strong"
55. **Franceschi:** meaning "from France"
56. **Gallo:** meaning "rooster"
57. **Gargano:** meaning "mountain"
58. **Gasparri:** meaning "from Gasparri" (a place in Abruzzo)
59. **Gentile:** meaning "noble"
60. **Geraci:** meaning "hawk"
61. **Giannini:** meaning "little John"
62. **Giordano:** meaning "from Jordan"
63. **Giuliani:** meaning "from Giulia" (a female name)
64. **Grasso:** meaning "fat"
65. **Guarini:** meaning "from Guarino" (a place in Lazio)
66. **Iannone:** meaning "son of John"
67. **Innocenti:** meaning "innocent"
68. **La Porta:** meaning "the gate"
69. **Lanza:** meaning "lance"
70. **Laurenti:** meaning "from Laurent" (a place in Tuscany)
71. **Lazio:** meaning "from Lazio" (a region in central Italy)
72. **Leonardi:** meaning "son of Leonardo"
73. **Levi:** meaning "joined" or "connected"
74. **Liberati:** meaning "freed" or "liberated"
75. **Lucci:** meaning "from Lucca" (a city in Tuscany)
76. **Lupo:** meaning "wolf"
77. **Maggio:** meaning "May"
78. **Maltese:** meaning "from Malta"
79. **Mancini:** meaning "from Mancino" (a place in Tuscany)
80. **Marchesi:** meaning "marquises"
81. **Marini:** meaning "from the sea"
82. **Martini:** meaning "from Martin"
83. **Masini:** meaning "from Maso" (a place in Tuscany)
84. **Mattei:** meaning "from Matteo" (a place in Tuscany)
85. **Mazzei:** meaning "from Mazze" (a place in Tuscany)
86. **Meloni:** meaning "melon"
87. **Meneghini:** meaning "from Venice"
88. **Merli:** meaning "blackbird"
89. **Micheli:** meaning "from Michael"
90. **Moretti:** meaning "dark" or "brown"
91. **Morricone:** meaning "from Morricone" (a place in Sicily)
92. **Nardi:** meaning "strong"
93. **Neri:** meaning "black"
94. **Noci:** meaning "walnut"
95. **Orlando:** meaning "famous" or "glorious"
96. **Palmieri:** meaning "palm tree"
97. **Panetta:** meaning "little bread"
98. **Parisi:** meaning "from Paris"
99. **Pastore:** meaning "shepherd"
100. **Pellegrini:** meaning "pilgrim"
101. **Pepe:** meaning "pepper"
102. **Peretti:** meaning "from Peretto" (a place in Tuscany)
103. **Petroni:** meaning "from Peter"
104. **Piana:** meaning "plain"
105. **Piccini:** meaning "small"
106. **Pierini:** meaning "from Peter"
107. **Pizzuti:** meaning "small" or "little"
108. **Polito:** meaning "polite"
109. **Porcelli:** meaning "pig"
110. **Provenzano:** meaning "coming from Provenzano" (a place in Sicily)
111. **Puccini:** meaning "from Puccini" (a place in Tuscany)
112. **Quattrini:** meaning "four pennies"
113. **Raggi:** meaning "rays"
114. **Ricci:** meaning "curly"
115. **Rinaldi:** meaning "from Rinaldo" (a place in Tuscany)
116. **Rizzo:** meaning "curly"
117. **Robusti:** meaning "strong"
118. **Romano:** meaning "from Rome"
119. **Rossi:** meaning "red"
120. **Russo:** meaning "red" or "blond"
121. **Sabatini:** meaning "from Sabbath"
122. **Salvatore:** meaning "savior"
123. **Santoro:** meaning "holy"
124. **Sasso:** meaning "stone"
125. **Scaglietti:** meaning "from the place of the ladders"
126. **Sechi:** meaning "dry"
127. **Serra:** meaning "mountain pass"
128. **Sforza:** meaning "strong"
129. **Silvestri:** meaning "from Sylvester"
130. **Simone:** meaning "listener" or "he who hears"
131. **Sorrentino:** meaning "from Sorrento" (a city in Campania)
132. **Spadaro:** meaning "sword maker"
133. **Spinelli:** meaning "thorn"
134. **Stella:** meaning "star"
135. **Testa:** meaning "head"
136. **Tibaldi:** meaning "from Tibaldo" (a place in Tuscany)
137. **Tognazzi:** meaning "from the place of the togas"
138. **Tommasi:** meaning "from Thomas"
139. **Torregrossa:** meaning "big tower"
140. **Toscani:** meaning "from Tuscany"
141. **Travaglia:** meaning "work" or "labor"
142. **Tucci:** meaning "from Tuccio" (a place in Tuscany)
143. **Valentino:** meaning "healthy" or "strong"
144. **Vannucci:** meaning "from Giovanni"
145. **Varone:** meaning "from Varone" (a place in Trentino-Alto Adige)
146. **Velasco:** meaning "from Velasco" (a place in Spain)
147. **Ventura:** meaning "good fortune"
148. **Verdi:** meaning "green"
149. **Verona:** meaning "from Verona" (a city in Veneto)
150. **Vetrano:** meaning "coming from Vetrano" (a place in Sicily)
151. **Vicari:** meaning "vicar"
152. **Vignati:** meaning "from the vineyard"
153. **Villani:** meaning "from the village"
154. **Vinci:** meaning "from Vinci" (a place in Tuscany)
155. **Vitali:** meaning "life"
156. **Volpe:** meaning "fox"
157. **Zito:** meaning "citizen"
158. **Zucchi:** meaning "sugar"