Italian Jewish Surnames with Non-Trivial Etymology (original) (raw)

2019, Avotaynu, vol. XXXV, 3, pp. 23-28

The etymology of many surnames used by Jews in Italy is readily apparent. Yet, there is also a set of surnames that was either considered by previous authors as being of obscure origin or for which whimsical roots were suggested. The size of this set is relatively small, but many are among surnames that are commonly used and often had famous bearers. The article addresses the following names: Almagia, Artom, Chimchi, Cordovero, Cuzzeri, Finzi, Lampronti, Luzzatto, Meldola, Panzieri, Segre, Seppilli, Sforno, de Sola, and Treves.