Where the Anzalone surname comes from
Anzalone comes from an old personal name, but scholars disagree on which one. Some say Ansaldo, of Germanic roots, brought to Italy by the Lombards: from the enlarged form Ansaldone you get Anzalone. Others say the biblical Absalom, much loved in the Middle Ages. Neither theory has been proven.
A surname that crossed the ocean
Today there are more Anzalones in America than in Italy. The PDF tells which ports they left from, and which Anzalones left their mark, from Sicily to the American stage.
Where the Anzalones live today
Anzalone is a Southern surname: about 4,500 people carry it in Italy. Its heartland is Sicily, in the Caltanissetta and Palermo areas. In Vicari, in the province of Palermo, it has always been among the most common surnames. A second old branch lives in Campania. The families in Lombardy and Lazio came with the emigration of the 1900s. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached.
Variants
The same name took different forms in Sicily, in Campania and in the North. The PDF explains how they came about.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Anzalone | Sicily (Caltanissetta and Palermo areas), Campania |
| Anzaloni | Sicily, Lazio, Lombardy |
| Ansalone | Campania |
| Ansaloni | Emilia |
FAQ
What does the surname Anzalone mean?
Its origin is debated. Some trace it to the old name Ansaldo, of Germanic roots and brought to Italy by the Lombards; others to the biblical name Absalom. Neither theory has been proven.
Is Anzalone a Sicilian or a Campanian surname?
Both. Its heartland is in Sicily, in the Caltanissetta and Palermo areas, and a second old branch lives in Campania, where the surname often appears as Ansalone.
Are Anzalone and Ansalone the same surname?
They are the same family of names, written differently by old parish priests and offices, with an s in place of the z. Ansalone is the form of the Campanian branch.
Are all Anzalones related?
No. The surname has two old branches, in Sicily and in Campania, and families in the same municipality can have no ties to each other. What counts is the exact town and the birth records.
Is the Anzalone surname noble?
Some noble Sicilian families bore this name, with their own titles and coats of arms, but that is a tradition with no proof of a link to anyone who carries it today. The story of the Anzalones is mostly one of farmers, craftsmen and village families.
Is there an Anzalone family coat of arms?
Some Anzalone families had a coat of arms, but it belonged to that family and not to all the Anzalones of Italy. There is no coat of arms that belongs to everyone.
How many Anzalones are there?
About 11,000 worldwide. In Italy there are about 4,500; in the United States almost 5,000, the children and grandchildren of emigrants who left between the 1800s and 1900s.
Where do I look for Anzalone ancestors?
The starting point is a specific town in the Caltanissetta area, the Palermo area or the Naples area. Civil records begin in 1820 in Sicily and in 1809 in Campania; before that, look in parish registers.
