Where the Petrungaro surname comes from
Inside Petrungaro you can read two words: Pietro and ungaro, meaning Hungarian. The surname almost certainly began with a man named Pietro who was given the nickname “the Hungarian.” It is pronounced Petrúngaro, with the stress on the u.
The shape of the name is clear. The reason for the nickname is less certain, and the PDF tells which explanations are possible and which tradition, however charming, has no proof.
A surname with three heartlands
Few surnames have a geography so divided. The Petrungaros come from three lands of southern Italy. The PDF tells which is the strongest, and what an old seaside village recalls.
Where the Petrungaros live today
Petrungaro is a rare surname: about 800 people carry it in Italy. They are concentrated in Calabria, in the Cosenza area, in Lazio, around Rome, and in Campania, around Pozzuoli. In Fiumefreddo Bruzio it is one of the most common surnames. There are just over 1,300 Petrungaros in the world. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries they reached.
Variants
The PDF records no widespread variants of Petrungaro. It does explain why, in research, the ancestors’ hometown matters more than the spelling of the surname.
FAQ
What does the surname Petrungaro mean?
It joins the name Pietro and the word “ungaro,” meaning Hungarian. It was a Pietro “the Hungarian,” with a nickname that recalled a distant people. Why he got that nickname is not known for certain.
How do you pronounce Petrungaro?
Petrúngaro, with the stress on the u: pe-TROON-ga-ro.
Is Petrungaro a Calabrian surname?
It is southern, with three places of origin: the Cosenza area in Calabria, the Rome area in Lazio and the Naples area around Pozzuoli. The strongest group is in Calabria.
Were the Petrungaro ancestors Hungarian?
Not necessarily. The nickname could point to someone who really came from Hungary, but also to someone who had served among Hungarians or who looked like an “ungaro” in manner, clothing or appearance. Nicknames like these were common in the Middle Ages.
Are all Petrungaros related?
Anyone who carries it almost always descends from one specific line: the Cosenza area, Lazio or the Naples area. A link between the three lands is not proven, and only the records can tell which one is yours.
Is the Petrungaro surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. It was a surname of ordinary people, born from a personal name and a nickname for where someone came from. No noble Petrungaro house with a documented coat of arms is known.
Is there a Petrungaro family coat of arms?
There is no coat of arms of the Petrungaro surname. A coat of arms always belonged to one branch of a family, and anyone looking for a “surname” crest will find only modern inventions.
How many Petrungaros are there?
About 800 in Italy and just over 1,300 in the world. Outside Italy the largest group is in Argentina, followed by the United States and Brazil.
