Where the Amara surname comes from
Amara is an old Sicilian surname, rare today. Its origin is debated, and scholars explain it in two ways. Some say it is a nickname, from the Sicilian adjective amaru, “bitter,” which on the island also means “unhappy, unlucky.” Others say it comes from an old Arabic personal name, Ammar, “the valiant,” that reached Sicily in the days of the Emirate. Neither theory has been proven.
Two surnames, one spelling
Search for Amara online and you will mostly find a different surname, far more common, Arabic and North African. It has nothing to do with the Sicilian one. The PDF explains how to tell them apart, and why your family’s exact hometown matters.
Where the Amaras live today
Amara is an almost entirely Sicilian surname: about 350 people carry it in Italy. It is concentrated in the Syracuse area, especially around Augusta, then in the Catania and Palermo areas. The few families in Lazio, Lombardy and the Veneto came with the emigration of the 1900s. The PDF has the region-by-region map.
Variants
Amaro and Amari are the two cousin forms, born from the same small group of Sicilian names. The PDF tells who they are and where they are found.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Amara | Sicily, mostly around Augusta |
| Amaro | Sicily |
| Amari | Palermo area |
FAQ
What does the surname Amara mean?
Its origin is debated. It may come from the Sicilian adjective amaru, “bitter” or “unhappy,” given as a nickname to an ancestor, or from the old Arabic name Ammar, “the valiant.”
Is Amara a Sicilian or an Arabic surname?
The one in this booklet is Sicilian and rare. There is also an Arabic and North African surname Amara, far more common, with a different history: the two are spelled the same by chance.
Are Amara, Amaro and Amari the same surname?
They are cousins, born from the same small group of Sicilian names. Amaro is the “masculine” form, and Amari is the best known, tied mostly to Palermo. A register written in a hurry was often enough to change a letter.
Are all Amaras related?
No. Because the surname is tied to just a few towns, several Amara families can live in the same municipality with no family ties. House nicknames often tell them apart.
Is the Amara surname noble?
No. It was a name of ordinary people, not of families with coats of arms. Sicilian noble tradition knows, if anything, the similar form Amari, but nothing proves a link with the Amaras.
Is there an Amara family coat of arms?
The heraldic registers record no coat of arms for the surname Amara. A coat of arms always belonged to one particular branch of a family, never to everyone who shares a surname.
How many Amaras are there in Italy?
About 350 people, almost all in Sicily. This is an estimate, because the sources stop at what has been recorded.
Where do I look for Amara ancestors?
The starting point is almost always the Syracuse area, around Augusta. In Sicily civil records begin in 1820; before that, look in parish registers, kept since the Council of Trent in 1563.
