Where the Cannizzaro surname comes from
Scholars don’t agree on the origin of Cannizzaro. The first theory leads to Catalonia: a family that reached Sicily in the train of King Peter III of Aragon, who had become king of the island in 1282. The second is Sicilian: the surname would come from Cannizzaro, a place on the coast of Aci Castello, near Catania.
On this second path, the records hold a surprise. The PDF lines up the documents and tells both theories, without choosing for you.
The scientist sentenced to death
Barely over twenty, a Cannizzaro from Palermo was the youngest deputy of the Sicilian revolution. When the revolution failed he was sentenced to death and had to flee. Years later his ideas set the standard for scientists all over Europe, and today his name is even on the Moon. The PDF tells his story, and that of a poet who twice asked for the hand of Victor Hugo’s daughter.
Where the Cannizzaros live today
Cannizzaro is a surname of Sicily and of the Calabrian side of the Strait, around Reggio. There are about 2,200 families in Italy. The town where the surname is strongest is Giardini-Naxos, on the Ionian coast, where it is the fifth most common surname. It reached Lombardy with 20th-century emigration, and many Cannizzaros live overseas today. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
Old records call the same family by several names, and some of those names are still alive today. The PDF tells which ones they are, and where they are found.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Cannizzaro | Sicily, Calabria, Lombardy |
| Cannistrà | Sicily, Calabria |
| Cannistraci | Sicily, Lazio |
FAQ
What does the Cannizzaro surname mean?
The origin is debated. Some say it comes from a Catalan family that reached Sicily in 1282 with the King of Aragon. Others say it comes from Cannizzaro, a place in Aci Castello near Catania.
Is Cannizzaro a Spanish surname?
According to the first theory, yes: the family would have come from Catalonia under the name Cannistraci or Cannistrà. For more than seven centuries, though, the surname has been at home in Sicily.
Does Cannizzaro come from “cannizzu”?
In Sicilian, a cannizzu is a mat of woven reeds, used to dry figs. The sound is close, but no document links the surname to that reed mat.
Is Cannizzaro a Sicilian or a Calabrian surname?
Both, but mostly Sicilian. It lives in Sicily and on the Calabrian side of the Strait, around Reggio. In Giardini-Naxos, in the province of Messina, it is the fifth most common surname.
Are all Cannizzaros related?
No. Not all Cannizzaros descend from the family that came from Catalonia, and two families may have no tie at all. To find out you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Cannizzaro surname noble?
In the 1600s there were Cannizzaro barons in Sicily, and one branch also held the title of duke. Most of today’s Cannizzaros, however, don’t descend from them. Only family records can tell.
Is there a Cannizzaro family coat of arms?
The archives record the coat of arms of the Cannizzaro barons, with stars and gold bars. It was theirs, not that of all the Cannizzaros. There is no coat of arms for the whole surname.
