Where the Suraci surname comes from
Suraci was born on both shores of the Strait of Messina. For centuries southern Calabria spoke Greek, and many surnames in the area end in -aci, from the Greek -àkis, “son of.” According to the most widely accepted theory, Suraci would then be “the son of Suro,” an old personal name. Its origin is debated, though, and scholars also suggest a second path. The two theories, with their arguments, are in the PDF.
A wind and a battle
The second theory leads far from Calabria. It links the surname to a hot wind from the south and to a Turkish admiral who fought in 1571, in the great naval battle of Lepanto. The PDF tells who he was, and what he has to do with the Suracis.
Where the Suracis live today
Suraci is a surname from Calabria. There are about 580 families in Italy, and its heart is the province of Reggio, on the shore of the Strait; the Messina area comes next. In the Aspromonte mountains, above Reggio, there’s a town where it’s the fourth most common surname: Sant’Alessio in Aspromonte. The families in Lombardy, Lazio and Piedmont come from Calabrian emigration to the North and to Rome. About one Suraci in three now lives outside Italy. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same name took different forms on the two shores of the Strait, with an “e” or with an “o.” The PDF shows where each one is concentrated.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Suraci | Calabria, Lombardy, Lazio |
| Surace | Calabria, Piedmont, Lombardy |
| Sorace | Calabria, Lazio, Sicily |
| Soraci | Sicily, Lazio, Piedmont |
FAQ
What does the surname Suraci mean?
According to the most widely accepted theory it means “son of Suro,” an old personal name, with the Greek ending -aci typical of southern Calabria. Its origin is debated, though: another theory links it to the name of the sirocco wind.
Is Suraci a surname from Calabria or from Sicily?
Mostly from Calabria: its heart is the province of Reggio Calabria. The Messina area comes next, on the other shore of the Strait, where the Soraci variant is typical.
Are Suraci and Surace the same surname?
They’re the same name with two spellings. Surace, with an “e,” is the more common form. Until the 1800s the surname was written down by whoever kept the register, and the same family may appear as Suraci, Surace or Soraci.
Are all Suracis related?
No. A surname born from a personal name may have been born more than once, even in the same area. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Suraci surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. It may come from a personal name, or from a nickname, and almost no Suraci family ever had a coat of arms.
Is there a Suraci family coat of arms?
There is no coat of arms that belongs to all Suracis. If a Suraci family from Reggio or Messina had a coat of arms, it was its own, tied to that branch and that place.
