Where the Conigliaro surname comes from
Conigliaro is an occupational name: the conigliaro was someone who raised rabbits or sold them at the market. In town, the founder’s nickname passed to his children and became the family’s name.
The Italian word for rabbit, coniglio, comes from the Latin cuniculus, which originally meant “hole underground.” The PDF explains how the animal came by that name, and why it was worth so much in the countryside.
Two champions across the ocean
With emigration the surname traveled far. In the 1960s a Conigliaro from Boston became a baseball idol, until fate struck him square in the face. In the same years, in Argentina, another Conigliaro scored a goal that made Manchester United weep. Their stories are in the PDF.
Where the Conigliaros live today
Conigliaro is an almost entirely Sicilian surname. There are about 750 families in Italy, with two hearts far apart: the Palermo area and the Syracuse area. The town where it is strongest is Carini, on the Gulf of Palermo, where it is the fourth most common surname. Outside the island are the families who left in the 20th century for Lombardy, Rome and Piedmont. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
Conigliaro has a close cousin, Coniglio, tied to the same animal and Sicilian as well. The PDF explains why it’s worth searching for both in the archives.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Conigliaro | Sicily, Lombardy, Lazio |
| Coniglio | Sicily, Piedmont, Calabria |
FAQ
What does the Conigliaro surname mean?
It is an occupational name: it named someone who raised rabbits or sold them at the market. The founder’s nickname then passed to his children and became the family’s name.
Is Conigliaro a Sicilian surname?
Yes, almost entirely. Its two hearts are the Palermo area, with Carini, and the Syracuse area. The families in Lombardy, Rome and Piedmont left Sicily in the 20th century.
Are Conigliaro and Coniglio the same surname?
They are cousins: in all likelihood both come from a nickname tied to the rabbit. Until the 1800s the surname was written by whoever kept the register, often the way they heard it spoken. If you’re looking for your ancestors, always check the similar forms too.
Are all Conigliaros related?
No. The surname has two distant lines, in Palermo and in Syracuse, each probably born from its own “conigliaro.” To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Conigliaro surname noble?
No. It comes from a country trade and was the surname of farmers and breeders, families who never had a coat of arms.
Is there a Conigliaro family coat of arms?
No. A coat of arms belonged to a specific family, never to a whole surname. Anyone who sells you the coat of arms “of the surname” without knowing anything about your family is selling you a drawing.
