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Surnames and Their Origins

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FANI’ — This surname derives from the Arab word “faniqah” meaning bag, measure or possibly from the Byzantine “Phanòs” meaning light, fire. It is not among the most common names, but nonetheless it is found in 16 of Italy’s 20 regions. The four that show no presence of this FANTE surname are Val d’Aosta, Puglia, Basilicata, and Sardegna.

FANTE — This surname derives from the medieval word “fante,” meaning infant, boy. Thirteen regions show a presence of this surname. Of those 13 Veneto has the highest number of families with this surname and its neighboring region Friuli Venezia-Giulia register this surname the least. Variations: FANTACCI, FANTAUZZI, FANTAZZI, FANTAZZINI, FANTE, FANTI, FANTINELLI. FANTINI, FANTOLATO, FANTOLINI, FANTONI, FANTOZZI, FANTUCCI, FANTUZZI.

FARINELLI — This surname derives from the word “farina,” meaning flour. Families with this surname usually are descendants of someone that worked as a miller or a baker. It has a presence in 19 regions. The region that shows no record of this surname in it vital statistics records is Puglia. Variations: FARINA, FARINACCIO, FARINAZZO, FARINETTI, FARINI, FARINOLA, FARINOTTI.

FASANO — This surname derives from the word “fagiano,” meaning pheasant, given to a good hunter or to someone that lived in a place populated by pheasants. It could derive also from “fascia,” meaning a long piece of land, to indicate the place where the ancestors of these modern-day Fasono families lived. It is a common surname that is present in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Campania and least in Val d’Aosta and Sardegna. Variations: FASCIANI.

FASSIO — This surname derives from the first name Fazio, which derived from another first name, Bonifacio or Bonifazio, already used in the 12th century. It is
not among the most common of Italian surnames. It is present in only nine regions. Of those nine regions Piedmonte registers as the region with the most Fassio families and Veneto and Val d’Aosta with the fewest Fassio families. Variations: FAZIO.

FATICA — This surname derives from the word “fatica,” meaning labor, which was probably given to ancestors of the modern- day Fatica families. Italians have a history
of being hard workers, but looking at the number of families with this surname would seem to indicate there weren’t many hard workers in Italy’s history. The surname is most uncommon and in only 11 regions and in small numbers at that. Variations: FATICATO.

FATTORINI — This surname derives from the word “fattore,” meaning one who manages a farm or workers on a farm. This surname is present in 15 regions. Toscana has the highest number of families with this surname while Abruzzo has the least. The five regions that show no presence of this surname are Molise, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily, and Val d’Aosta. Variations: FATTORE, FATTORELLI, FATTORELLO, FATTORETTI, FATTORI.

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