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Italian last names: 150+ surnames and their meanings

152 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

The most common Italian last names are Rossi, Russo and Ferrari, and most began as nicknames, fathers' names, trades or places. The ending often hints at the region: -i is typical of the north and -o of the south, though Lombardy's Colombo and Piedmont's Ferrero end in -o too, -n and -on of the Veneto, -utti and -otti of Friuli, and -u, -as or -is of Sardinia.

This page lists 150+ real Italian surnames with the meaning and origin of each: the most common names, northern and southern families, pet-form endings, Venetian, Sicilian and Sardinian names, trades, names built with De and Di, surnames from places, and the names given to foundlings. Regional endings are tendencies, not rules, since families have moved around Italy for centuries.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Porcu

    Sardinian for pig, an old farming nickname

  • La Rosa

    The rose, a Sicilian surname with the article

  • Visentin

    For someone from Vicenza

  • Mantovani

    For someone from Mantua

  • Brambilla

    From the town of Brembilla, near Bergamo; typical of Lombardy

  • Calzolari

    Shoemakers, from calzolaio, a maker of shoes

Italian name tools

Read what a surname's ending says about where a family came from, see every surname a child can take from two parents under the 2022 ruling, and check first names against the rules of Italy's civil registry.

Read a surname

  • Esposito: exposed: a name given to abandoned children, especially in Naples.
  • -o is the singular form, the usual ending in the south.

Endings are tendencies, not rules: families moved, and names travelled with them.

A child's surname from both parents

  • Rossi RussoBoth surnames, in the order the parents agree
  • Russo RossiBoth surnames, the other order
  • RossiOnly the first parent's surname, if both agree
  • RussoOnly the second parent's surname, if both agree

If the parents disagree, a judge decides. A parent with two surnames passes on one.

Would the registry accept it?

  • Andrea is a boy's name in Italy. The name must match the child's sex; courts have disagreed about Andrea for a girl.

This checks the main rules of DPR 396/2000 and is not legal advice.

Want endless ideas? Try the last name generator and generate new names in one click.

Most common Italian last names

The surnames you meet most often across Italy, led by Rossi. Many describe hair color or a trade.

  1. Rossi US #1,387: From rosso, red, for someone with red hair; Italy's most common
  2. Russo US #740: Southern form of rosso, red, for a red-haired ancestor
  3. Ferrari US #4,311: A smith, from ferro, iron; the northern plural form
  4. Bianchi US #4,196: White, for white hair or a very pale face
  5. Romano US #1,247: From Rome, or from the first name Romano
  6. Colombo US #6,835: Dove; Lombardy's top surname, often given to Milan's foundlings
  7. Ricci US #3,161: From the Italian word for curly, for curly hair
  8. Marino US #1,147: From a first name meaning of the sea
  9. Greco US #2,165: Greek, for someone of Greek origin; common in the south
  10. Bruno US #1,160: Brown, for someone with brown hair or skin
  11. Gallo US #1,610: Rooster, a nickname for a proud or showy man
  12. Conti US #3,590: From conte, count, for someone in a count's service
  13. De Luca US #2,308: Son of Luca, the Italian form of Luke
  14. Mancini US #3,369: From mancino, meaning left-handed
  15. Costa US #890: Slope or coast, for someone living on a hillside
  16. Giordano US #2,273: From a first name honoring the River Jordan
  17. Rizzo US #2,001: Curly-haired, a southern form of riccio
  18. Lombardi US #2,614: For someone from Lombardy, land of the Lombards

Northern Italian surnames

Most end in -i, from medieval Latin records (Petrus filius Martini, Peter son of Martino) or a family plural, the Bianchi or the Martini.

  1. Galli US #10,795: Roosters, the plural northern form of gallo
  2. Neri US #4,462: Black, for someone with very dark hair
  3. Biondi US #14,026: Blond, for someone with fair hair
  4. Mori US #8,009: Moorish or dark, for a dark-haired person
  5. Martini US #4,643: Son of Martino, the family of Martin
  6. Bernardi US #10,501: Son of Bernardo, from Germanic words for bear and hardy
  7. Cavalli US #29,143: Horses, for a horse dealer or horseman
  8. Rinaldi US #4,818: Son of Rinaldo, a Germanic name meaning counsel and rule
  9. Ferri US #11,045: Iron, for an ironworker
  10. Brambilla US #80,054: From the town of Brembilla, near Bergamo; typical of Lombardy
  11. Villa US #653: Town or village, from Latin villa; very common in Lombardy
  12. Riva US #19,483: Bank or shore, for a family by a river or lake
  13. Sala US #9,687: Hall or manor house; typical of Lombardy
  14. Cattaneo US #33,184: Captain or minor lord, from Latin capitaneus
  15. Medici US #29,248: Doctors, from medico; Florence's ruling family

Southern Italian surnames

Most keep a singular ending in -o or -e. Many are nicknames, saints' names or Norman and Greek first names.

  1. Caruso US #1,807: From carusu, a shorn-headed boy or young lad
  2. Longo US #2,943: Tall, from Latin longus, long
  3. Leone US #2,428: From the first name Leone, lion
  4. Amato US #2,951: Beloved, from Latin amatus
  5. Basile US #4,825: From the first name Basilio, Greek for royal
  6. Pagano US #4,365: Villager or countryman, from Latin paganus
  7. Santoro US #4,203: From Latin sanctorum, for a child born on All Saints' Day
  8. Coppola US #4,258: Cap, for a maker or wearer of caps
  9. Cirillo US #9,457: From the Greek first name Kyrillos, lordly
  10. Vitale US #2,810: From a first name meaning full of life
  11. Palumbo US #3,386: Wood pigeon, a southern nickname
  12. Aiello US #4,026: From places named Aiello, from Latin agellus, little field
  13. Romeo US #4,156: Pilgrim, especially one who had traveled to Rome
  14. Barone US #3,013: Baron, for someone in a baron's household
  15. Gentile US #2,535: Kind or noble, from Latin gentilis
  16. Ruggiero US #3,927: From Roger, a first name brought south by the Normans
  17. Bianco US #4,454: White, the southern singular form, for white hair or a very pale face

Italian surnames with pet-form endings

Endings like -ini, -etti, -elli, -ucci and -otti mean little. Tuscany and the Marche favor -ucci, Tuscany -ai and Friuli -utti.

  1. Martinelli US #6,964: Little Martino, from a pet form of the first name
  2. Bellini US #22,253: From Bellino, a pet form of bello, handsome
  3. Puccini US #41,948: From Puccio, a Tuscan pet form of Iacopo, James
  4. Vannucci US #44,823: From Vanni, a Tuscan short form of Giovanni
  5. Paolucci US #16,390: Little Paolo, with the -ucci ending of Tuscany and the Marche
  6. Niccolai US #90,184: From Niccolò, Nicholas, with the Tuscan -ai ending
  7. Marchetti US #8,140: Little Marco, a pet form of Mark
  8. Rossetti US #9,404: Little red one, a pet form of rosso
  9. Morelli US #5,499: From a pet form of Mauro, Latin Maurus, a Moor
  10. Bianchini US #17,347: Little white one, a pet form of bianco
  11. Zanetti US #26,847: Little Zane, the Venetian form of Gianni
  12. Bortolotti US #97,730: From Bortolo, Bartholomew; common in Trentino
  13. Antonelli US #7,779: Little Antonio, the family of Anthony
  14. Giannini US #9,744: Little Gianni, a pet form of Giovanni
  15. Cappelletti US #30,865: Little hats, for a hatmaker

Venetian surnames

The Veneto often drops the final vowel, giving endings in -n and -on, and uses Da and Dal, from and from the.

  1. Zanon US #55,400: From Zane, Venetian for Giovanni, with the -on ending
  2. Meneghin US #150,935: From Menego, the Venetian form of Domenico
  3. Perin US #27,169: From Piero, a Venetian pet form of Pietro
  4. Bortolin: From Bortolo, the Venetian form of Bartolomeo
  5. Marcon US #44,416: Big Marco, with the Venetian -on ending
  6. Benetton: From Benetto, Venetian for Benedetto, with -on
  7. Visentin US #113,565: For someone from Vicenza
  8. Trevisan US #52,580: For someone from Treviso
  9. Padovan US #108,965: For someone from Padua
  10. Furlan US #32,948: For someone from Friuli, in the regional language
  11. Schiavon: Slav, or from the village of Schiavon near Vicenza
  12. Favaro US #56,329: Smith, the Venetian form of fabbro
  13. Boscolo: A classic Chioggia surname, from bosco, wood
  14. Dal Molin US #90,848: From the mill, with the Venetian preposition dal

Sicilian and Sardinian surnames

Sicilian names show Greek, Norman and Spanish roots and often keep an article, La or Lo. Sardinian names come from the Sardinian language.

  1. La Rosa US #5,229: The rose, a Sicilian surname with the article
  2. Lo Bianco US #29,114: The white one, for fair hair, with Sicilian lo
  3. La Torre US #7,855: The tower, for a family living by one
  4. Lo Monaco US #19,770: The monk, a nickname or a monastery worker
  5. Lo Iacono US #17,058: The deacon, from Greek diakonos
  6. Cavallaro US #9,657: Horseman or horse keeper, with the Sicilian -aro ending
  7. Saitta US #27,817: Sicilian for arrow, from Latin sagitta
  8. Catalano US #3,909: For someone from Catalonia, a legacy of Aragonese rule
  9. Puglisi US #12,170: For someone from Puglia, with the Sicilian -isi ending
  10. Messina US #2,886: For someone from the port city on the Strait
  11. Sanna US #32,900: Sardinian for fang; the island's most common surname
  12. Pinna US #76,236: Sardinian pinna, feather, or possibly a nickname for the nostril
  13. Porcu: Sardinian for pig, an old farming nickname
  14. Floris US #46,623: Sardinian word meaning flowers
  15. Nieddu: Sardinian for black, for dark hair
  16. Cadeddu: Sardinian for puppy, an affectionate nickname
  17. Frau: Sardinian word for a blacksmith
  18. Cossu US #107,521: Corsican, for a family from the neighboring island
  19. Manca US #69,752: Sardinian for left, for a left-handed person
  20. Marras US #156,449: Sardinian for hoes, the farming tool

Occupational Italian surnames

Medieval trades that became family names. The north tends to use the plural -i, the south the singular -o.

  1. Ferraro US #2,986: Smith or ironworker, the southern singular form
  2. Fabbri US #23,186: Smiths, from fabbro, blacksmith
  3. Sartori US #14,640: Tailors, from Latin sartor
  4. Molinari US #10,598: Millers, the people who ran the mill
  5. Barbieri US #7,704: Barbers, who also performed minor surgery
  6. Pastore US #8,438: Shepherd, someone who kept sheep
  7. Pescatore US #32,985: Fisherman, from pescare, to fish
  8. Notaro US #18,191: Notary, the keeper of legal records
  9. Giudice US #24,125: Judge, for a magistrate or his family
  10. Speziale US #37,907: Apothecary or spice dealer
  11. Fornari US #69,752: Bakers, from forno, oven
  12. Calzolari: Shoemakers, from calzolaio, a maker of shoes
  13. Vaccaro US #5,426: Cowherd, from vacca, cow
  14. Tessitore US #35,388: Weaver, from tessere, to weave
  15. Bottai: Coopers, makers of barrels; a Tuscan -ai name
  16. Massaro US #7,433: Farm manager, from massa, a farming estate

Italian surnames with De, Di and D'

De and Di mean of, so Di Stefano is the son or family of Stefano. These forms are most common in central and southern Italy.

  1. Di Stefano US #5,713: Son of Stefano, from Greek stephanos, crown
  2. De Angelis US #4,640: Of the angels, a Latin genitive form
  3. D'Amico US #2,856: Son of Amico, friend
  4. Di Pietro US #6,207: Son of Pietro, from Greek petros, rock
  5. Di Giovanni US #7,955: Son of Giovanni, the Italian John
  6. D'Alessandro US #6,095: Son of Alessandro, defender of men
  7. De Santis US #3,744: Of the saints, a Latin form common in Abruzzo
  8. Di Marco US #8,043: Son of Marco, the Italian Mark
  9. De Martino US #11,656: Son of Martino, the Italian Martin
  10. Di Benedetto US #8,122: Son of Benedetto, blessed
  11. Di Lorenzo US #9,817: Son of Lorenzo, Laurence, from the Roman town Laurentum
  12. D'Agostino US #4,166: Son of Agostino, Augustine, venerable
  13. Del Vecchio US #7,342: Of the old man, for the elder's family
  14. De Laurentiis US #154,182: Of Laurentius, a Latin -iis form from Abruzzo
  15. D'Angelo US #3,118: Son of Angelo, messenger

Italian surnames from places

Names given to newcomers, recording the city, region or country a family came from.

  1. Calabrese US #4,209: For someone from Calabria
  2. Napolitano US #5,127: For someone from Naples
  3. Genovese US #7,028: For someone from Genoa
  4. Pisano US #7,559: For someone from Pisa
  5. Veneziano US #25,558: For someone from Venice
  6. Siciliano US #9,213: For someone from Sicily
  7. Toscano US #3,885: For someone from Tuscany
  8. Fiorentino US #11,570: For someone from Florence
  9. Milanese US #40,000: For someone from Milan
  10. Mantovani US #55,082: For someone from Mantua
  11. Albanese US #5,594: Albanian, often for the Arbëreshë of southern Italy
  12. Tedesco US #5,829: German, for a family from north of the Alps

Italian foundling surnames

Abandoned children were given surnames by the institutions that raised them. Some of these, like Esposito and Colombo, are now among Italy's most common names.

  1. Esposito US #1,631: Latin expositus, placed outside; given to foundlings, especially in Naples
  2. Innocenti US #41,249: Innocent ones, a name given at Florence's foundling hospital
  3. Proietti US #50,074: Cast away, a name given to abandoned children
  4. Degli Esposti: Of the foundlings; typical of Bologna
  5. Diotallevi: May God raise you
  6. Trovato US #17,094: Found, for a child found and taken in
  7. Sperandio US #74,428: Hope in God, given to children in charity's care
  8. Di Dio US #24,443: Of God, given to children entrusted to charity
  9. Degl'Innocenti: Of the Innocents, after the foundling hospital in Florence
  10. Allevi: Short form of a foundling name meaning may God raise you

How to pick the right name

Let the ending set the region

A surname ending in -i reads northern, one in -o usually reads southern, and Zanon or Furlan reads Venetian. These are tendencies: Lombardy's most common surname, Colombo, ends in -o.

Mind spaces and apostrophes

In Italy, De Luca, D'Angelo and Lo Bianco keep their spaces and apostrophes. In the US many became DeLuca or Deluca, which is also authentic for an Italian American character.

Read the meaning first

Many surnames are nicknames: Mancini means left-handed and Ricci means curly-haired. Others, like Esposito, record a family's history. The notes help you choose with care.

Italian last names: 152 ideas from Nomezo

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Italian last names, checked: why the rankings are estimates, why Russo beats Rossi in America, and where foundling names come from

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 26, 2026 · How we research names

Rossi tops every list of Italy's most common surnames, but Italy publishes no official count, so every ranking is an estimate. In the US the picture flips: Russo, the southern form, is carried by 45,790 Americans, almost twice as many as Rossi, because most Italian immigrants came from the south and Sicily.

Many common Italian surnames began as names given to abandoned children, from Esposito in Naples to Colombo in Milan. The kit above reads what a surname's ending suggests and builds a child's surname from both parents, and the tags show each name's rank among US surnames.

  1. Step 1Read the ending-i leans north, -o leans south.
  2. Step 2Compare Italy and the USRusso is twice as common as Rossi in America.
  3. Step 3Know the foundling namesEsposito, Proietti, Innocenti and Colombo.
  4. Step 4Check the US spellingDi Lorenzo or Delorenzo.

Italian surnames in the US: the southern forms win

  • Spellings merge in America. Delorenzo (3,501 people) now outnumbers Di Lorenzo (3,149), and Deangelo has 4,562 bearers beside D'Angelo's 11,263 (US Census Bureau).
  • No official ranking in Italy. Italy's statistics office and national registry do not publish surname counts, for privacy reasons; the usual lists go back to the linguist Emidio De Felice's 1970s count of phone subscribers, which missed people without phones (Geopop).
Northern and southern forms of the same surname, people in the 2020 US Census
Northern formPeopleSouthern formPeople
Rossi25,108Russo45,790
Galli2,823Gallo21,711
Ricci11,142Rizzo17,631
Ferrari7,969Ferraro11,797
Lombardi13,474Lombardo14,506

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020. About 4 million Italians reached the US between 1880 and 1914, mostly from southern Italy and Sicily (Wikipedia).

Where the foundling names come from

  • Each city had its own. Esposito is mainly from Naples and Campania, Proietti from Lazio and Umbria, Innocenti from Florence and Tuscany, Degli Esposti from Bologna, and Trovato and Di Dio from Sicily (Treccani).
  • Colombo was a dove on a badge. Many Colombos in Milan and Lombardy descend from children of the foundling hospital of Santa Caterina della Ruota, whose emblem was a dove (Treccani). Colombo is now Lombardy's most common surname.
  • Naples stopped naming every foundling Esposito in 1811, after a decree of Joachim Murat's Kingdom of Naples (Wikipedia)).
  • Check the meaning. Aiello comes from places named Aiello, from Latin agellus, little field (Behind the Name), and Morelli from a pet form of the first name Mauro (Behind the Name), not from moro, dark.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Italian last name?

Rossi, by every estimate, followed by names such as Russo, Ferrari, Esposito and Bianchi. Italy publishes no official surname count, so rankings come from estimates such as phone directories. Rossi and Russo both mean red, for a red-haired ancestor.

Why do so many Italian last names end in -i?

Medieval Latin records often named a man as son of his father, as in Petrus filius Martini, which gave Pietro Martini. A family could also be named in the plural, so one man of the Bianco family was a Bianchi. Either way, the -i stuck, especially in the north and center.

Can you tell where an Italian surname is from by its ending?

Often, yes. Endings in -i are typical of the north, -o of the south, -n and -on of the Veneto, -otti and -utti of Friuli, and -u, -as or -is of Sardinia. These are tendencies rather than rules.

What does Esposito mean?

Esposito comes from Latin expositus, placed outside, and was given to abandoned children, especially in Naples. It is now one of the most common surnames in Italy.

What do De and Di mean in Italian surnames?

Both mean of. Di Stefano is the son or family of Stefano, and De Santis means of the saints. These forms are most common in central and southern Italy.

What is the most common Italian last name in the US?

Russo. The 2020 US Census counts 45,790 Americans named Russo, far more than the 25,108 named Rossi, even though Rossi leads in Italy. Most Italian immigrants came from the south, where the -o forms are usual.

Do Italian children get both parents' surnames?

They can. Since a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, a child takes both parents' surnames unless the parents agree on one. In 2025, 7.3% of babies born in Italy got both, up from 6.7% in 2024, according to ISTAT.

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