
Venetian surnames are those found in the region of Veneto in Italy, as well as in some parts of the rest of the country and the Italian diaspora.
In general, they are among the surnames that have undergone the process of Italianization to a lesser extent; they have an origin partly shared with other regions and partly characterized by typical forms [1]
History of surnames from Veneto
The names found in the Veneto area have distant origins and have changed several times over the centuries. In Venetic times (BC) people were referred to by a proper name and a patronymic, derived from their father's name. In Roman times the Veneti also adopted tria nomina according to Latin usage: prenomen, nomen and cognomen. In the early Middle Ages the tria nomina disappeared and barbarian onomastics were adopted: Tizio son of Caio from Places. Finally, from the year 1000 onward, modern names and surnames began to form, which in Veneto took on particularly expressive forms that are still preserved today [1][2].
Venetian surnames all originated in dialectal form; they were then transcribed by the priest to celebrate baptisms or marriages into higher dialects such as Treviso or Venetian, causing them to lose their dialectal traits, or they were transcribed by notaries and then Latinized (up to the entire 500s).
In general, they are among the surnames that have undergone the process of Italianization to a lesser extent[3]
For this reason there are several variants of the same surname.
Venetian surnames conventions
Currently, the most common surnames in the Veneto region are distinguished into those that retain the consonant ending (especially the -n), those with the preposition dal or the suffix -ato, and last but not least, those found throughout Italy derived from professions and nicknames.[1][4]
Furthermore Veneto is the northernmost region among those with Rossi in 1st place, ahead of the local form Boscolo.
Surnames can be:
- Onomastic (coming from a proper name)
- Locative (from a place of origin),
- Derived from an occupational origin
- Qualifying adjectives describing a person
- Identifiers of foundling child
Venetian surnames from proper names
- With consonant ending: most of them derive from Giovanni and its diminutives (Zambon, Zanon, Zanin, Zanini and also Zanetti, Zampieri, Zanatta) and there are also Perin (from Pietro/Piero), Lorenzon (from Lorenzo) Berton, Martin, Baldan.
- Frigo (from Federico), Vianello (from Viviano), Bernardi (from Bernardo), Martini (from Martino), Stefani (from Stefano)[1][4]
Venetian surnames from a place of origin
Venetian surnames of occupational origin
- With consonant ending: BressanMarangon (carpenter), BressanBallarin (dancer, more than a profession in this case it is a nickname
- Ferrari with the local versions of Favero, Favaretto and Fabri; the typical venetian Boscolo (woodsman) Masiero (sharecropper), Sartor and Sartori (Taylor), Carraro (manufacturer or wagon carrier), Pegoraro (shepherd of sheep), Barbieri (barber), Tessari (weaver) Zago (deacon, altar boy but also simple and silly boy). [1][4]
Venetian surnames from nicknames or qualifying adjectives
Venetian surnames identifiers of foundling child
- Casagrande (big house) [1][4]
Venetian surnames with prepositions
Venetian surnames with suffix
- A typical suffix is -ato: see ZancaBonato, ZancaVolpato, ZancaCecchinato, ZancaBorgato, ZancaBozzato, ZancaChinellato, ZancaMarcato, ZancaFerronato, ZancaLevorato, ZancaLovato, ZancaRossato, ZancaReginato, ZancaSimionato, etc. From the original diminutive value it changed to 'belonging to the family of,' thus an onomastic element, combined with person names, nicknames, and ethnic adjectives. [4][1]
Venetian surnames from minorities of German origin
- Minorities of German origin, especially Cimbrian, deserve a mention. Cimbrian surnames are easily recognized, especially those ending in -ele, -ene, -erle, -ere: Nìchele, Mòsele, Gècchele, Càntele e Ròmele the most popular; also as Bìrtele, Gréndele, Pernèchele, Rèpele, Righele, Stèrchele, Stòppele. [4][1]
The most common Venetian surnames
Famous people with Venetian surnames

- Marco Polo, born in Venice in 1254. Belonging to a family of traders and travelers, he is considered the greatest land explorer of the Middle Ages. [6]
- Maurizio Cattelan, Italian contemporary artist known for his satirical and provocative works.[7][8] Born in Padua in 1960, Cattelan has gained international fame for his sculptures that challenge social conventions and criticize institutions and authorities. Among his most famous works are "Comedian," a banana taped to the wall, and "America," a working toilet made of solid 18-karat gold, both of which were exhibited and sold for high prices, sparking debates about contemporary art and its value.

- Renzo Rosso was born in Brugine, a hamlet in the province of Padua, on September 15, 1955. From a young age he was passionate about fashion and began to produce as well as sell his own denim garments. [9] In 1978 he founded, the Diesel brand with the mission of becoming an alternative to the traditional denim brands then in circulation.[10] In addition to the quality of its garments and the creativity of its design, Diesel became famous for its advertising campaigns, which were always irreverent and out of the box with the claim "only the brave". Today, OTB (Only The Brave) is a holding company that controls Diesel itself, but also other famous brands such as Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor & Rolf, Jil Sander, and Staff International, manufacturer and distributor of the Just Cavalli and Dsquared brands.
Other famous people born in Veneto
- Architects Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and Giovan Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)
- Painters Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516), Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), Vittore Carpaccio (1465-1520), Giorgione (1478-1510), Tiziano (1480>85-1576), Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), il Tintoretto (1519-1594), Gianbattista Tiepolo (1696-1770), il Canaletto (1697-1768), Francesco Guardi (1712-1793), Francesco Hayez (1791-1882)
- Sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
- Explorers Marco Polo (1254-1324), Pietro Querini (XV sec), Alvise Cadamosto (1432-1488), Giovanni (1450-1498) e Sebastiano Caboto (1484-1557), Antonio Pigafetta (1491-1534)
- Writers Ruzante (1502-1542); Luigi da Porto (1485-1529), Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793); Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827); Ippolito Pindemonte (1753-1828); Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798)
- Musicians and composers Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), Antonio Salieri (1750-1825)
- 11 Popes
- The world's first female graduate, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro (1646-1684)[5]
Among the contemporaries
- Philosopher Massimo Cacciari
- Psicologist Franco Basaglia
- Artist Maurizio Cattelan, actor Marco Paolini, poet Andrea Zanzotto, movie director Tinto Brass, writer Ferdinando Camon comics disegner Altan
- Opera singer Katia Ricciarelli
- Swimmers Federica Pellegrini and Novella Calligaris, soccer players Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero, the Olympic high jump champion Sara Simeoni
- Enterpreneurs Benetton, Marzotto, Carraro, Renzo Rosso (Diesel), Giuseppe De Longhi, Andrea Riello, Giovanni Rana, Alberto Bauli.
See also
Explore more about Venetian surnames
- Andiamo! Finding Your Italian Family webinar at Legacy Family Tree webinars
- Long Distance Italian Genealogy Research webinar at Legacy Family Tree webinars
- From Venezia to Catania: the Basics of Italian Research webinar at Legacy Family Tree webinars
- Researching Your Italian Ancestors webinar at Legacy Family Tree webinars
- Surnames in Veneto, Italy
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 I COGNOMI ITALIANI, REGIONE PER REGIONE: LOMBARDIA, VENETO, TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE, FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA
- ↑ La civiltà venetica
- ↑ Giovanni Tomasi e l’origine dei cognomi veneti, uno studio che si fonda sul dialetto e la vita contadina
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Veneto Segreto
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 CHI È NATO IN VENETO? PERSONAGGI FAMOSI
- ↑ MARCO POLO: BIOGRAFIA BREVE
- ↑ Chi è Maurizio Cattelan? L’artista della Banana e del WC d’oro
- ↑ Made in Catteland
- ↑ Renzo Rosso: storia dell’imprenditore veneto
- ↑ Diesel.com