Italian Surnames of Puglia – Origins, Meanings and Heritage

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If your family carries a name like De Santis, Convertini, Loiacono, or Tanzarella, there is a good chance your roots reach deep into the sun-baked earth of Puglia — the long heel of Italy’s boot. Puglia is one of the most emigration-heavy regions in the entire country, and its surnames carry centuries of Greek, Byzantine, Norman, and Arab influence in every syllable.

This guide covers the most common Italian surnames from Puglia, their meanings and origins, the communities that shaped them, and how to start tracing your Pugliese family roots today.

Why Puglia Surnames Are Different

Puglia is unlike any other Italian region when it comes to surnames. Its position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean meant it absorbed wave after wave of foreign rulers over two thousand years. The Greeks came first, followed by the Romans, then the Byzantines, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, and the Spanish. Each left their mark not just on the landscape, but on the family names that families still carry today.

The region also experienced one of Italy’s most dramatic emigration periods. Between 1880 and 1930, approximately 800,000 people left Puglia for the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Australia. Cities like Bari, Brindisi, Taranto, Foggia, and Lecce each developed their own surname traditions. If your American family came from the south of Italy and you cannot identify the exact region, Puglia is one of the first places worth investigating.

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The Most Common Italian Surnames from Puglia — and What They Mean

De Santis — “Of the Saints”

De Santis is one of the most widespread surnames across southern Italy, and it appears with particular frequency in Puglia. The name means “of the saints” and likely originated as a devotional name, used to describe a family living near a church or shrine, or to honour religious devotion. You will find De Santis families spread across the provinces of Bari, Taranto, and Brindisi. In the United States, the name sometimes appears as DeSantis or Desantis, with the space dropped at immigration.

Convertini — “The Converted”

Convertini is a surname that is almost exclusively Pugliese, concentrated heavily in the Brindisi and Lecce areas. It derives from the Latin convertinus, meaning a converted person — most likely referring to an ancestor who converted from Judaism or Islam during one of the major religious conversion periods of the medieval era. The Normans encouraged conversion among the Arab and Jewish communities that had settled in Puglia, and surnames like Convertini preserve that history. If your family carries this name, Brindisi province is the place to start your research.

Loiacono — “The Wolf Cub”

Loiacono is a fascinating surname with clear Greek and Byzantine roots. It derives from the Greek loukakonos, meaning wolf cub or young wolf. The name points to the deep Greek influence in southern Puglia and the Salento peninsula, where Byzantine culture persisted long after the Norman conquest. Loiacono families are concentrated in the provinces of Cosenza (just across the border in Calabria) and throughout Puglia’s interior. The name also appears as Lo Iacono or Lo Jacono.

Tanzarella — A Pugliese Original

Tanzarella is one of those surnames that exists almost nowhere else on earth outside of Puglia. The name is concentrated in the Taranto and Bari provinces. Its precise origin is debated, but most scholars point to either a corrupted form of a personal name or a topographic reference to a small valley or enclosed land. Tanzarella families emigrated heavily to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in the early twentieth century. The name’s rarity makes it one of the easier Pugliese surnames to trace — there are simply not that many Tanzarella families in the world.

Laricchia — “The Larch Tree”

Laricchia comes from the Italian word for larch tree (larice), with the southern diminutive ending. It is a topographic surname, meaning the family lived near or was associated with a stand of larch trees. The name is found primarily in Bari province and the surrounding area. Surnames derived from trees and plants are extremely common in Puglia — the land was largely agricultural, and families were often identified by the landscape features closest to their home.

Cisternino — “From Cisternino”

Cisternino is a locational surname, taken from the town of Cisternino in the Valle d’Itria — the same valley famous for its trulli houses. Surnames derived from towns are common across Puglia, particularly for families who moved from rural areas to larger cities like Bari or Taranto in the 18th and 19th centuries and adopted their town of origin as their family name. If you carry this name, Cisternino in the Brindisi province is your starting point.

Fanelli — “From the Temple” or Occupational

Fanelli is widespread across all of southern Italy but particularly concentrated in Puglia and Basilicata. It derives from the Latin fanum, meaning a sacred place or temple. A family living near a place of worship, or one employed in maintaining such a site, might have taken on this name. The Fanelli family name appears throughout Bari, Taranto, and Foggia provinces. In the United States, the name remained largely intact through immigration.

Laselva — “The Woodland”

Laselva (also written La Selva) is another topographic surname meaning “the forest” or “the woodland.” It is strongly associated with the Bari province and points to families who lived on the edge of forested land — once more common in Puglia before centuries of agricultural clearing. The name appears in emigration records from the late 1800s, particularly for families heading to New York and New Jersey.

Abbaticchio — “The Little Abbot”

Abbaticchio is a distinctly Pugliese surname derived from abate (abbot) with the southern Italian diminutive suffix -icchio. It likely described a family with a connection to a monastery or abbey — perhaps a servant family, or a family that held land leased from a religious institution. The name is concentrated in the Bari area and is rarely found outside Puglia. This is exactly the kind of surname that makes Pugliese genealogy research rewarding — a name this specific tells you a great deal about your ancestors’ lives.

Nacci — “Born in December” or from “Ignazio”

Nacci is a short, sharp Pugliese surname with two possible origins. The first traces it to a shortened form of Ignazio (Ignatius), a name popular in the Catholic south due to the influence of the Jesuit order. The second links it to a Pugliese dialect word associated with winter births. Nacci families are found primarily in Foggia province in northern Puglia, an area that also had significant emigration to the United States in the early 20th century.

Didonna — “Of the Lady”

Didonna (also written Di Donna) is concentrated almost entirely in Puglia, particularly in the Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani provinces. It means “of the woman” or “of the lady” and likely refers to the Virgin Mary — a family living near a church dedicated to Our Lady might have taken on this devotional surname. It is one of several Pugliese surnames that reflect the region’s deep Marian tradition.

Nardelli — “From Leonardo”

Nardelli is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Nardo, itself a shortened form of Leonardo. It is found across central and southern Puglia and in the neighbouring regions of Basilicata and Calabria. The Nardelli families of Puglia emigrated heavily to the United States, particularly to the industrial cities of the American northeast and midwest. If your family uses this surname, church records (which recorded the full Leonardo) may be more helpful than civil records.

Sportelli — “The Wicket Gate”

Sportelli is an occupational surname derived from sportello, meaning a small door, hatch, or service window. It described a family who operated or maintained a toll point, gate, or market booth. The name is strongly associated with the Bari and Brindisi provinces. During the medieval and early modern periods, many Pugliese families took surnames based on the tools of their trade or the structures associated with their work.

Triggiani — “From Triggiano”

Triggiani is a locational surname derived from the town of Triggiano, a small comune just south of Bari. Like Cisternino, it was adopted by families who migrated from the town and carried its name with them. Triggiani families are found throughout Bari province and in significant numbers among the Italian-American communities of New York and New Jersey.

Puglia’s Surname Geography: Which Province?

Puglia is a large region divided into six provinces: Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto, and the newer province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. Your surname may give you a clue about which province your family came from:

• Bari province — surnames connected to trade, craft guilds, and urban religious institutions. Common endings: -elli, -ino, -icchio.
• Lecce and Salento — the strongest Greek influence. Look for surnames with Greek roots, Byzantine references, or the Griko dialect.
• Foggia (the Tavoliere plain) — agricultural surnames, many linked to the great seasonal cattle drives that once crossed the region. Shepherd-based surnames are common here.
• Taranto — a mix of Greek maritime heritage and Norman feudal surnames. The ancient Greek colony of Taras (Taranto) left linguistic traces that survive in family names.
• Brindisi — a major port city, so surnames here often reflect merchant families, converted communities, and Norman administrative roles.

The Great Pugliese Emigration

To understand Pugliese surnames in America, you need to understand the scale of emigration. Between 1880 and 1927 — when the United States introduced immigration restrictions — Puglia was one of the single largest sources of Italian emigrants to America. The region was desperately poor. Land was controlled by absentee landlords, harvests were unreliable, and disease (particularly malaria in the low-lying Tavoliere plain) made life precarious.

The majority of Pugliese emigrants landed in New York, processed through Ellis Island. From there, many moved to New Jersey (particularly Newark and Trenton), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh), and the industrial cities of the midwest. Some communities formed tight clusters — you will find entire neighbourhoods in 1910 Brooklyn where every third family was from the same town in Bari province.

If your family came through Ellis Island with a Pugliese surname, the Ellis Island Foundation database is an essential first stop. The records from 1892 to 1957 are searchable online. Bear in mind that immigration officers often anglicised or simplified surnames — Laricchia might appear as Lariccia or even Laricia; Abbaticchio might be shortened to Abbott.

For deeper research, the step-by-step guide to tracing your Italian ancestry covers the key archives and databases in detail — including the Anagrafe (civil registration) records held at each comune in Puglia.

Visiting Your Pugliese Ancestral Town

Puglia is one of the most rewarding regions for heritage travel. The land has not changed dramatically — the whitewashed trulli of the Valle d’Itria, the baroque piazzas of Lecce, the ancient olive groves of the Tavoliere, and the cliffside masserie (farm estates) of the interior all look much as your ancestors would have known them.

Most Pugliese comuni maintain excellent civil registration records dating from the 1860s (when unified Italy implemented compulsory civil registration) and many have church records going back to the 16th century. A heritage trip to your ancestral town in Puglia can include a visit to the local comune office to request copies of birth, marriage, and death records. Many Pugliese towns also have local genealogy associations willing to assist researchers with family ties to the region.

The southern tip of Puglia — the Salento peninsula around Lecce, Otranto, and Gallipoli — is particularly striking. Its Greek-influenced dialect, baroque architecture, and unspoilt coastline make it one of the most distinctive parts of Italy for heritage visitors.

How Surnames Were Assigned in Puglia

Before the Napoleonic period, most people in Puglia did not have fixed hereditary surnames. They used a system of patronymics (son of Nicola became Di Nicola), nicknames, and place associations that shifted from generation to generation. When Napoleon’s administration required fixed family names in the early 1800s — and when the unified Italian state reinforced this in 1865 — local officials assigned permanent surnames, often based on the family’s existing nickname, their trade, their physical appearance, or the place they came from.

This explains why so many Pugliese surnames feel descriptive or place-based. They were not chosen by the families themselves — they were chosen for them, by officials who needed a way to distinguish one family from another in the parish register. In small towns, this process was sometimes arbitrary. Two brothers might end up with different surnames if the official recorded them on different days.

This history is also why researching surnames from Calabria, Campania, and Puglia requires different tactics than researching surnames from the north. In the south, records from before 1810 are often sparse, and the surname your family carried in America may have only been in use for two or three generations before emigration.

Common Variations and Spelling Changes

When Pugliese families arrived in the United States, their surnames often changed — sometimes slightly, sometimes dramatically. Immigration officials recorded names phonetically in English, and many families voluntarily simplified their names to assimilate more easily. Here are some patterns to watch for:

• Prefixes dropped — Di Palma became Palma; De Santis became Santis or Santos.
• Double consonants simplified — Convertini might appear as Convertine or Convertin.
• Final vowels dropped — Tanzarella became Tanzarel or Tanzarell.
• Phonetic English spellings — Loiacono became Loyacono or Loyacon.
• Complete anglicisation — some families translated their names: Abbaticchio (little abbot) occasionally appears as Abbott.

When searching records, always try multiple spellings. The villages your ancestors left behind often have the original spelling in their civil records, which can help you identify the correct Italian form of the name.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common surnames from Puglia?

Among the most common Pugliese surnames are De Santis, Fanelli, Nardelli, Laricchia, Di Palma, Convertini, Triggiani, and Loiacono. The most common surnames vary significantly by province — Bari, Lecce, Taranto, Foggia, and Brindisi each have distinctive local surnames that reflect their different histories.

How do I know if my Italian surname is from Puglia?

The most reliable method is to use the Italian surname distribution tool at cognomix.it or the ISTAT surname database, which show you where a surname is most common in Italy today. If your surname clusters in Bari, Lecce, Taranto, Foggia, or Brindisi province, it is likely Pugliese in origin. You should also check family immigration records — the “last residence” field on Ellis Island manifests often names the exact Italian comune.

Are Pugliese surnames different from Sicilian or Neapolitan surnames?

Yes, though there is overlap. Pugliese surnames have a stronger Greek and Byzantine influence than most Sicilian surnames, which have more Arab and Norman influence. Compared to Campanian (Neapolitan) surnames, Pugliese names tend to be more localised — many exist only within a few towns or provinces. The -icchio and -ello diminutive suffixes are particularly common in Puglia and less common in Sicily or Campania.

Can I claim Italian citizenship through Pugliese ancestry?

If you can prove an unbroken line of descent from an Italian citizen who did not naturalise before their child was born, you may qualify for Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis). This applies regardless of how many generations back the Italian ancestor was, provided no one in the line renounced Italian citizenship before passing it on. Many Italian-Americans with Pugliese roots are eligible — you may qualify and not know it.

Where can I find Puglia civil records for genealogy research?

Civil registration records for Puglia (from 1809 onwards under Napoleon, and from 1865 under unified Italy) are held at the Archivio di Stato in each provincial capital: Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, and Taranto. Many records are also available through FamilySearch, which has digitised significant portions of the Italian civil registration archives. Church records (baptisms, marriages, and burials from as far back as the 16th century) are held at the local diocesan archives.

You Might Also Enjoy

• Italian Surnames of Calabria – Origins, Meanings and Heritage
• Italian Surnames of Campania – Origins, Meanings and Heritage
• Why Italian-Americans Have Kept Traditions Their Cousins in Italy Have Long Forgotten

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