Where the Caprio surname comes from
Caprio comes from a personal name. Scholars trace it to the Latin Caprius, a name tied to the world of goats. It is so old that the poet Horace even mentions it. Others think it began as an occupational nickname, for someone who raised or sold goats. Either way, the root is the goat.
A family of voices
The PDF tells the stories of four Caprios who left their mark. A cardinal from Irpinia who was expelled from China. An American judge, the son of an emigrant from the Caserta area, who became famous all over the world thanks to the internet. And a father and son with two voices Italians know well without knowing whose they are.
Where the Caprios live today
Caprio is a surname of the South: about five thousand people carry it in Italy. Its heart is Campania, and within the region the Caserta area. Around it, the surname is common in the Naples area, in Irpinia and around Salerno, then in southern Lazio and in Apulia. The families in the North came with the migrations of the 1900s. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached.
Variants
Alongside Caprio there are a few forms born from the same root, almost all from Campania, and one with a heartland of its own in Calabria. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Caprio | Campania: the Caserta area, the Naples area, Irpinia |
| Di Caprio | Campania |
| De Caprio | Campania, with branches in Lazio and the North |
| Capria | Calabria, between the Vibo Valentia and Reggio areas, then the Messina area |
FAQ
What does the surname Caprio mean?
It comes from the Latin name Caprius, tied to the world of goats: “of the family of Caprius.” Other scholars think it was the nickname of someone who raised or sold goats.
Is Caprio a surname from Campania?
Yes. Its heart is in Campania, above all the Caserta area: in Alife it is among the most common surnames in town. It is also common in the Naples area, in Irpinia and around Salerno.
Are Caprio and Di Caprio the same surname?
They share the same root. Di Caprio adds the old “son of” in front of the name. In old records the same family could appear as Caprio one time and Di Caprio the next, depending on who was writing.
Does Leonardo DiCaprio have Italian roots?
Yes. His great-grandparents, Salvatore Di Caprio and Rosina Cassella, came from Alife, in the province of Caserta: the very town at the heart of the surname. They emigrated to the United States in the late 1800s.
Are all Caprios related?
No. Caprio families are many and scattered. To trace your own family’s story, what matters is the exact town your branch came from, along with birth records and parish registers.
Is the Caprio surname noble?
No. It comes from a humble personal name, tied to goats and pastures. The old heraldry collections record no notable Caprio family.
Is there a Caprio family coat of arms?
No. A coat of arms belonged to one specific branch of a family, and for the Caprios the heraldry collections record no notable one. No coat of arms belongs to a whole surname.
