As a nation state, Italy has emerged only in 1871. Until then the country was politically divided into a large number of independant cities, provinces and islands. The currently available evidences point out to a dominant Etruscan, Greek and Roman cultural influence on today's Italians.
One of my mom's uncles was named Luzzi and I'm fairly certain this is a nickname. I saw this uncle listed as a "Lusio" in a US census, but knowing how infrequently the census takers knew how to spell our names, I'm not convinced that this was his actual name.
I also googled the name and found many more Lucios than Lusios.
Can anyone verify for me whether Luzzi is an acceptable nickname for Lucio, or if not, what the correct full name would be for someone nicknamed Luzzi?
I'm curious: have you actually heard the name pronounced by an Italian or seen it in writing?
I am wondering if it really was "Luzzi" (which would be properly pronounced something like LOOT-see) or if possibly it was Lussi (LOOSE-see).
Lusso means luxury; Lussi would be the plural. A possible nickname for someone who liked to surround himself with such.
Luzzi, on the other hand, is the name of a rather large comune in the Calabria region of southern Italy. People from Luzzi are known as Luzzesi (think "New Yorkers") pronounced something like LOOT-say-zee (I think).
Carmine
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There are 434 cities, towns and villages in Italy that have persons surnamed LUZZI so it is a bonafide last name. Its origin as a nickname maybe someone calling luzzi LUZZI instead of a "REAL" nickname. Of course it could be that someone shortened the surname LUZZATTO which is an ashkenazi jewish surname imported into Italy in the 15th and 16th century and made it into a nickname Luzzi which as a matter of interest occurred with my surname which is of Italian origin cutting it to a half spelling.........by friends and intimates
I actually was able to look through some microfilm rolls from the town in question, and I found some candidates for my gr-grandmother's parents. Nothing confirmed, though. However, one of them was named Luigi, and Luigi's father was apparently Luzio. So at least that name seems like it could be turned into "Luzzi" as a nickname.
Interestingly enough, LUZIO is not listed as an Italian surname and might have been Italianized into LUZIO since the origin of the surname is in an East Germany and West Poland region known as LUSAZIA. The surname then went from Lausitz to Luzzatto. Perhaps Luzio was a variation of LUZZATTO. A Nickname snuck in there somewhere I would imagine. Peter
These are not last names I'm looking up though -- they're first names. Their last name was Pistilli. And in the town they came from, there seemed to be a couple people named Luzio as a first name.
Ever since I was a little boy, my dad would show me my great grandfather's card, and tell me that he was a count in Italy. I was always intrigued by that, but never really thought about asking my grandmother questions, or anyone else for that matter. About ten years ago, as more and more information...
