Where the Catalano surname comes from
Catalano means “the Catalan”: someone who came from Catalonia, the region of Barcelona. In a town in the South, the stranger who arrived from there was “the Catalan” to everyone, and the nickname passed to his children. In the Middle Ages there was also the personal name Catalanus, which recalled the same land all the same.
Three ports, one crown
The surname took root in the South during the centuries when Sicily was tied to the Crown of Aragon. It all began with a famous revolt and a crown offered to a foreign king. The PDF tells who arrived from the sea, and why so many stayed, along with the story of a 13th-century Catalano whom Dante would not forgive.
Where the Catalanos live today
There are about 8,200 Catalano families in Italy, concentrated in Sicily, Apulia and Campania. In Sicily it is the 21st most common surname on the island, strongest of all around Trapani. The town where it is number one, though, is in Calabria: San Roberto, in the Aspromonte mountains, above the Strait. Many families moved to the North and to Rome in the 20th century. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same name of a people took other forms: one in central Italy, two diminutives in Sicily. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Catalano | Sicily, Apulia, Campania |
| Catalani | Lazio, Marche, Lombardy |
| Catalanotto | Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy |
| Catalanotti | Sicily, Campania, Lombardy |
FAQ
What does the Catalano surname mean?
“The Catalan”: it named someone who came from Catalonia, the region of Barcelona. In the Middle Ages there was also the personal name Catalanus, which recalled the same land.
Is Catalano a Sicilian surname?
Above all. It is the 21st most common surname in Sicily and the 17th in the province of Trapani. It is also common in Apulia, Campania and Calabria, where it is the top surname in San Roberto.
Does Catalano come from Spain?
The name does: it recalls Catalonia, today part of Spain. The families, though, have been in Italy for centuries. The surname arrived with migrations between the 11th and 13th centuries, then with the Crown of Aragon.
Are Catalano and Catalani the same surname?
They have the same origin. Catalani is the central Italian form, while Catalanotto and Catalanotti are Sicilian diminutives, the “little Catalan.” In old records it’s worth searching for every form.
Are all Catalanos related?
No. The surname was born in many places, from people who arrived from Catalonia at different times. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Catalano surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility: it comes from the name of a people. In Catania there lived a noble Catalano family, lords of the Marcato of Melilli, but that was one specific branch.
Is there a Catalano family coat of arms?
There was the coat of arms of that noble family of Catania, and it was theirs. There is no coat of arms for all the Catalanos. As for the red and gold stripes of Catalonia, they are the symbol of a region, not of families.
