Where the Maugeri surname comes from
Maugeri comes from a Norman personal name, Mauger, which became Maugerius in Latin documents. It reached the South with the knights who conquered Sicily in the 11th century. Among the Normans it was a common name, and a son of Mauger became “Maugeri.” Scholars also mention another theory, linked to the malga, the mountain pasture.
A village with the same name
On the slopes of Mount Etna there is a hamlet actually called Maugeri. There, in the 1800s, an evening tied to a great composer from Catania was carved into a stone plaque. The PDF tells what happened that night, and who the Maugeris of the Middle Ages and the 1900s were.
Where the Maugeri families live today
Maugeri is a surname of eastern Sicily. There are about 2,200 families in Italy, with their heart in the towns around Mount Etna, between Catania and Acireale: in Santa Venerina it is the sixth most common surname. Outside Sicily you find it mostly in Lombardy and Rome, because of 20th-century migration. The great majority of the Maugeris still live in Italy. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same Norman name gave two forms with an l, found mostly on the mainland. The PDF explains where they come from, and what to know about a similar surname from the Syracuse area.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Maugeri | Sicily |
| Malgieri | Campania, Lazio, Apulia |
| Malgeri | Calabria, Lazio |
FAQ
What does the surname Maugeri mean?
It comes from the Norman personal name Mauger, Maugerius in Latin and Malgerio in Italian. A son of Mauger became “Maugeri.”
Is Maugeri a Sicilian surname?
Yes, from eastern Sicily: it is the 17th most common surname in the province of Catania and the 6th in Santa Venerina. The families in northern Italy and Rome arrived mostly in the 1900s.
Do the Maugeris descend from the Normans?
The name is Norman, but that doesn’t mean descending from the knights. Mauger was a common name; it stayed in use in Sicily and became a surname. No document links today’s families to the Hautevilles.
Are Maugeri and Mauceri the same surname?
We don’t know. Mauceri is a surname from the Syracuse area with a very similar sound, but no studies link it to Maugeri with certainty. In family records it may be a different story.
Are all Maugeris related?
Not necessarily: two Maugeri families can have different stories. To trace your own you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Maugeri surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility. It was carried by families of every walk of life: farmers, winegrowers, craftsmen, fishermen.
Is there a Maugeri family coat of arms?
No. A coat of arms belonged to one specific branch of a family, and anyone selling a “Norman” Maugeri coat of arms is making it up. No document links today’s families to a knight with a shield.
