Where the Segreti surname comes from
Segreti does not come from the everyday word for “secrets,” but from a position of trust. At its root is the Latin secretus, “set apart, private,” the same word that gave us secretary. It meant the man admitted to the private councils of a lord, a bishop or a cardinal. The nickname passed from father to son and became a surname.
An officer of the king
In southern Italy the name also recalls an old office of the Kingdom of Sicily, which included Calabria. It was an important post, close to the king’s affairs. The PDF tells what that officer did, and why scholars weigh two possible explanations.
Where the Segreti families live today
Segreti is a rare Calabrian surname. About three hundred people carry it in Italy, around a hundred families, almost all in the areas of Cosenza and Crotone. In the small town of Domanico it is one of the long-established surnames. A few families live in Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Liguria. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached.
Variants
The surname has two close cousins, one that keeps the Latin c and one in the singular. The PDF explains where they live, and why the pens of parish priests split them apart.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Segreti | Calabria, Tuscany, Lazio |
| Secreti | Calabria, Lombardy, Basilicata |
| Secreto | Piedmont, Lombardy, Calabria |
FAQ
What does the surname Segreti mean?
It comes from the Latin secretus, “private.” It meant the trusted man of a lord or a churchman, admitted to his private councils. In the South it also recalls the Secreto, an officer of the king.
Is Segreti a Calabrian surname?
Yes. The great majority of Segreti families live in Calabria, above all around Cosenza and Crotone. The few families in Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Liguria arrived over time.
Are Segreti and Secreti the same surname?
They share the same root, the Latin secretus. Secreti keeps the c, Segreti has a g: in old records, parish priests wrote surnames the way they heard them spoken. If you are searching for your ancestors, check both forms, and Secreto too.
How many people named Segreti are there in Italy?
About three hundred people, around a hundred families. Worldwide there are just over a thousand, and the largest group lives in the United States.
Are all Segreti families related?
Not necessarily: the same nickname for an office could arise in different places. Still, the surname is rare and tied to a few Calabrian towns. To find out you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Segreti surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. It comes from a position of trust, and the story of most Segreti families is written in parish registers, not titles.
Is there a Segreti family coat of arms?
Heraldry collections record arms of individual Secreto or Segreti families, tied to one specific place. No single coat of arms belongs to every Segreti.
Where should you look for Segreti ancestors?
In Calabria, civil records begin in 1809. Before that, you search the parish registers: baptisms and marriages from 1563, burials from 1614.
