Where the Maio surname comes from
Maio comes from an old personal name, not from a trade or a place. In the old spelling it was Majo, the old shortened form of “Maggio,” the month of May. It was given to a child born in May, a month of flowers and good omen. Then the given name stayed with the family and became a surname. The name is documented in southern Italy a thousand years ago.
Beware of namesakes
Maio is also a Portuguese word, and abroad you meet Maio families who have nothing to do with Italy. The PDF explains why the worldwide numbers should be read with caution.
Where the Maios live today
Maio is a surname of southern Italy, with two heartlands of almost equal strength: about 16,000 people carry it in Italy. Campania is the first, centered on the Avellino area. In Solofra the tie is very strong: it has always been among the most common surnames in town. The second is Sicily. A third, smaller cluster is in Calabria; 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 same name gave rise to a small family of surnames, among them Di Maio, De Maio, Maggio and Majo. The PDF explains how they relate to each other.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Maio | Campania (Avellino area), Sicily, Calabria |
| Di Maio | Campania |
| De Maio | Campania |
| Maggio | Sicily and Apulia |
| Majo | south-central Italy, the old spelling with a j |
FAQ
What does the surname Maio mean?
It comes from the old personal name Majo, a shortened form of “Maggio.” It was given to a child born in that month, which was considered a good omen.
Is Maio a Campanian or a Sicilian surname?
Both. Campania, with the Avellino area and Solofra, is the first land of the surname; Sicily has an equally old cluster, almost on a par. A smaller cluster is in Calabria.
Are Maio, Di Maio and Maggio the same surname?
They come from the same name but are distinct surnames. Maggio is the full form, Majo the old spelling with a j; Di Maio and De Maio mean “the son of Maio.” Sharing one of these forms does not mean being related.
How many Maios are there?
About 16,000 people in Italy and about 20,000 of Italian stock in the world. The largest group outside Italy is in the United States.
Are all Maios related?
No. The name Majo took hold in several parts of the South at the same time and became a surname in different places. To trace your own family’s story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is Maio a noble surname?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. It comes from a personal name and is borne mostly by ordinary families of the South; a Maio family of Sicily had a noble branch, but only one.
Is there a Maio family coat of arms?
Some heraldic collections record the coat of arms of a Maio family of Sicily, but it was the blazon of that one noble branch. A coat of arms valid for all Maios does not exist.
Where do I start looking for my Maio ancestors?
With the exact town of the family. Civil records begin in 1809 in Campania and in 1820 in Sicily; before that you search the parish registers.
