Where the Garofalo surname comes from
Garofalo was the medieval name for the carnation, the flower. The word comes from the Greek karyóphyllon. A flower’s name could become a person’s name, as Rosa or Margherita do today, and then pass to the children. Scholars also point to a second path: someone who came from a place called Garofali, in the province of Caserta.
A painter and a pasta factory
In Renaissance Ferrara, a great painter was known to everyone as “il Garofalo.” Sometimes he signed his paintings in his own way. A few centuries later, in Gragnano, a royal decree gave a Garofalo permission to make pasta. Their stories are in the PDF.
Where the Garofalos live today
Garofalo is a surname of central and southern Italy. There are about 7,200 families in Italy, and the heart is Campania, between Naples, Irpinia and the Salerno area. Next come Sicily, especially the Syracuse area, and Calabria. The town where it is the top surname is Lioni, in Irpinia. In the North it is found mostly in Lombardy, because of the emigration of the 1900s. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world where the family settled are in the PDF.
Variants
The same flower gave rise to several surnames, born from pronunciation and from letters that swap places. The PDF shows where each one is concentrated.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Garofalo | Campania, Sicily, Calabria |
| Garofano | Campania |
| Galofaro | Sicily |
| Garofolo | Lazio, Veneto |
| Garofali | Lazio |
| Carofalo | Apulia, Campania |
FAQ
What does the Garofalo surname mean?
Garofalo was the medieval name for the carnation. The surname comes from a personal name taken from the flower, or from a place like Garofali, in the province of Caserta.
Is Garofalo a Neapolitan or a Sicilian surname?
It is mostly from Campania: Campania is the region where it is strongest, and the town where it is the top surname is Lioni, in Irpinia. Right after comes Sicily, led by the Syracuse area, and then Calabria.
Are Garofalo and Galofaro the same surname?
Yes, they come from the same word. Galofaro is the form used in eastern Sicily, with the letters swapped around, as often happens in speech. If you are searching for your ancestors, look for both forms.
Does Garofalo pasta have anything to do with the surname?
Yes. The pasta factory in Gragnano bears the name of Michele Garofalo, who in 1789 obtained a license from the king to make pasta. Today it is controlled by another family, but the surname has stayed on the packages.
Are all Garofalos related?
No. The surname was born from a flower’s name and from different places, and two Garofalo families can have very different histories. To rebuild your own you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Garofalo surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t mean nobility. It is the surname of families from every walk of life: farmers, craftsmen, pasta makers, fishermen. Nearly all of them never had a coat of arms.
Is there a Garofalo family coat of arms?
There is no single coat of arms for all Garofalos. If a Garofalo family had one, it belonged to that specific branch, not to the thousands of families who carry the surname today.
