Where the Giarrusso surname comes from
Giarrusso began as an old nickname tied to the color of someone’s hair. The final part, -russo, is the dialect form of “red,” the same as in the very common surname Russo. It pointed to a distant forefather whom everyone in the village recognized by that mark.
Scholars do not agree on the beginning of the name. The most widely followed theory reads it as a given name joined to the nickname, fused into a single word. The PDF tells how.
More outside than inside
Giarrusso is a Sicilian surname, but the worldwide count is surprising: more than half of all Giarrussos now live outside Italy. The PDF tells where they went and how many there are. The booklet also features a familiar face from television who bears this surname.
Where the Giarrussos live today
In Italy there are about 1,300 Giarrussos, and almost all have roots in Sicily, split between the Catania and Palermo areas. The strongest tie is with Vizzini, in the province of Catania, where it is among the most common surnames in town. Outside the island there are two smaller, old clusters, in Campania and Molise. The families in Lazio and Lombardy come from the migrations of the 1900s. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries around the world.
Variants
The PDF records no widespread variants of the Giarrusso surname.
FAQ
What does the surname Giarrusso mean?
It comes from an old nickname tied to red hair. The final part, -russo, is the dialect form of “red.” The origin of the beginning of the name is debated.
Is Giarrusso a Sicilian surname?
Yes. Its heartland is the Catania and Palermo areas, with a special tie to Vizzini. Outside Sicily there are smaller clusters around Caserta and in Molise.
Are Giarrusso and Russo the same surname?
They are not the same surname, but they come from the same word. Russo is the dialect form of “red,” and inside Giarrusso there is that very *russu*, the red of the hair. They are two distinct surnames with different stories.
How many Giarrussos are there?
About 1,300 people in Italy and about 3,200 in the world. More than half live outside Italy, and the largest group is in the United States. These are estimates.
Are all Giarrussos related?
Not necessarily. A nickname can arise in several towns independently. To trace your own family’s story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is Giarrusso a noble surname?
No. It began as a nickname among ordinary people in the towns of Sicily, and it does not appear in the heraldic collections with a coat of arms of its own.
Is there a Giarrusso family coat of arms?
No. The heraldic collections do not record a coat of arms for the Giarrussos, and a coat of arms valid for a whole surname does not exist. Anyone selling one online is offering a modern invention.
Where do I start looking for my Giarrusso ancestors?
With the exact town of the family. In Sicily civil records are found in the archives from 1820; before that you search the parish registers, kept after the Council of Trent in 1563.
