Where the Salamone surname comes from
Salamone comes from a baptismal name: Solomon, the biblical king famed for his wisdom, which softened to Salamone in the island’s speech. The root is ancient Hebrew, tied to shalom, peace.
In the Middle Ages it was a name loved across Christendom. In Sicily it was also carried by the island’s Jews, and behind a Salamone there may be one story or the other.
Two lives far apart
The surname produced a soldier of fortune of the 1500s and an architect of the 1900s. The PDF tells who they were, and where the name took them.
Where the Salamones live today
Salamone is a Sicilian surname of the interior: about 6,000 people carry it in Italy, mostly in the province of Enna. In Leonforte it has always been the surname with the most families. The families in the north and in Lazio came with the emigration of the 1900s. There are about 17,000 Salamones in the world, and today more of them live in the United States than in Italy. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries they reached.
Variants
The PDF’s archive card lists two close forms, Salomone and Salamoni. The PDF also explains why, outside Italy, not every Salamone descends from the Sicilian line.
FAQ
What does the surname Salamone mean?
It comes from Solomon, the name of the biblical king of wisdom, softened in Sicilian speech. The root is ancient Hebrew, tied to shalom, peace.
Is Salamone a Sicilian surname?
Yes, with its heartland in inland Sicily, in the province of Enna. In Leonforte it is the surname with the most families. But the name Solomon is biblical, and non-Italian families carry it too.
Is Salamone a Jewish surname?
The root is Hebrew, but in Sicily the name was carried by both Christian families and the island’s large Jewish community, which flourished until the end of the 1400s. Behind a Salamone there may be one story or the other.
Are all Salamones related?
No. Several Salamone families can live in the same town with no close ties, and they are often told apart by family nicknames. The biblical name also belongs to non-Italian families.
Why are there more Salamones in the United States than in Italy?
Because of the great Sicilian emigration of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Whole branches of families from towns in the Enna area left for America: there are over 8,500 in the United States and about 6,000 in Italy.
Is the Salamone surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. Heraldic records mention a few noble Salamone families, for example in Piedmont, but there is no proof of a link to the others. Most were farmers and sulfur miners.
Is there a Salamone family coat of arms?
Some Salamone families had a coat of arms, for example with a crowned eagle, but it belonged to that house. There is no coat of arms that belongs to all Salamones.
Where should I look for my Salamone ancestors?
The starting point is almost always a specific town in the Enna area, beginning with Leonforte. In Sicily civil registration begins in 1820; before that, look in the parish registers.
