'Our Italian Surnames' covers every fact of Italian names and naming practices. It is here we discover, for example, that 'Bussolari' is Italian for compass, 'Orsini' means bear, and 'Passalacqua' stands for butterfly.
Besides given names and the evolution of Italian surnames, the book contains chapters devoted to pet names, botanical names, geographical names, bird names, insect names, occupational names, and more. Written for a popular audience, each chapter of the book is a separate and informative unit in itself. Complete with a list of sources and an index of more than 7,500 names, 'Our Italian Surnames' is a monument to the late Professor Fucilla's lifelong interest in the language and names of Italia.
This book originally published in 1949, is still widely regarded as the last work on the subject of Italian surnames and their meanings.
Review:Crammed with a multitude of enlightening facts about Italian surnames, this book will thoroughly engage both the genealogy enthusiast and the casual reader...The information is well documented and explained...The language of the text is clear and very descriptive. The prose flows easily ... It is to be recommended. - Italian Genealogical Group, Vol. 3, No. 5 (January 1997)
'...classic...definitive work on the origin and meaning of Italian surnames. - American Italian Historical Association Newsletter, Vol. XX, No. 3 (August 1987)
'This is a valuable genealogical aid. - The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 35, No. 2, (1987)
'Professor Fucilla's knowledge of Italian dialects is nothing short of astounding; it would be rare even in Italy to find such a 'connoisseur' of the shadings ... of Italian dialectology. - Elio Gianturco, Symposium, IV (1950)
'Fucilla has done the cause of scholarship a real service in compiling this impressive work...The result is imposing and complete. - Mario A. Pei, The Romantic Review, XL (1949)
