Where the Russo surname comes from
Russo was born from a color. In the dialects of the South, russo and russu mean “red,” from the late Latin russus. The first Russo was in all likelihood a man with red hair, or with a reddish beard or complexion. In a town of dark-haired people that was enough to make you u russu, “the red one,” and the nickname passed to the children.
The surname has nothing to do with Russia. And it is the same word as Rossi, Italy’s most common surname: Rossi is the form of central and northern Italy, Russo the form of the South.
A saint with two surnames
The nickname already appears in records in the 1200s. In the 1500s, in Brindisi, a Russo was born who would become a saint and a Doctor of the Church. The records remember him under two different surnames, which proves how close Russo and Rossi are. The PDF tells his story, and that of the first Russos in the records.
Where the Russos live today
Russo is found all over Italy, but its kingdom is the South. There are about 50,000 families. Its greatest weight is in Campania, especially around Naples. In Sicily it is the top surname on the island and in the city of Catania, and Apulia follows. In the North you’ll find it mostly in the big cities, brought by the emigration of the 1900s. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world where the Russos settled are in the PDF.
Variants
The same color gave rise to different forms, with the article attached or with Sicilian diminutives. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Russo | Campania, Sicily, Apulia |
| Lorusso | Apulia, Lombardy, Basilicata |
| Russi | Apulia, Lombardy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Russotto | Sicily |
| Russello | Sicily |
| Lo Russo | Campania, Apulia, Lazio |
FAQ
What does the surname Russo mean?
It means “the red one.” It was the nickname of a man with red hair, or with a reddish beard or complexion, then passed down to his children.
Does the surname Russo come from Russia?
No. Russo is the word for “red” in the form used by southern dialects. It didn’t mark someone who came from Russia.
Are Russo and Rossi the same surname?
Yes, they are the same word. Rossi is the form of central and northern Italy and Russo that of the South. They are the two most common surnames in Italy: Rossi is first, Russo second.
Is Russo a Neapolitan or a Sicilian surname?
Both. Its greatest weight is in Campania, especially around Naples, while in Sicily it is the top surname on the island. It is also the top surname in the provinces of Foggia and Caserta.
Are Russo and Lorusso the same surname?
They have the same origin. Lorusso means “lo rosso,” “the red one,” with the article attached to the name, and it is the typical form of the Bari area. Anyone searching for their ancestors should try every form.
Are all Russos related?
No. A surname born from a physical trait was born many times, in many towns, with no ties from one family to the next. For your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is there a Russo family coat of arms?
There was the coat of arms of one specific family, the Russo patricians of Pozzuoli. It was theirs, not that of the fifty thousand Russo families of today. No single coat of arms belongs to the whole surname.
