Where the Trapani surname comes from
Trapani is a surname of origin: the first Trapani was “the one who came from Trapani.” When someone from Trapani settled in another town, the neighbors called him by the name of his city. And the nickname passed on to his children.
The city’s name is very old. The Greeks called it Drépanon, “sickle,” after the curved strip of land it stands on. From there, by way of Latin, came Trapani. The legend that explains that shape is in the PDF.
A city of salt and coral
Whoever left Trapani might have been a sailor, a salt merchant or a coral craftsman. For centuries the city was among the richest in the Mediterranean, and its name even appears in ancient poems. The PDF tells what the people of Trapani took with them, and what they left behind.
Where the Trapanis live today
Trapani is a surname scattered all over Italy, with about 1,800 families. Its heart is in Sicily, then in Campania and Lazio. As often happens with surnames of origin, it was usually born far from its city. The surprise is the town where it ranks number one: Villa Santo Stefano, in the province of Frosinone. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
There’s only one cousin, which says the same thing with the adjective instead of the city’s name. The PDF explains why today it’s found mostly far from Sicily.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Trapani | Sicily, Campania |
| Trapanese | Campania |
FAQ
What does the surname Trapani mean?
“The one who came from Trapani.” It was the nickname given to someone who arrived in another town from the Sicilian city, and then passed on to the children.
Is Trapani a Sicilian surname?
Yes, it comes from a Sicilian city and Sicily is the region where it’s most common. But it’s also found in Campania and Lazio, where you’ll find the town in which it ranks number one.
Are Trapani and Trapanese the same surname?
They say the same thing in two ways. Trapani uses the city’s name, Trapanese the adjective, “the man from Trapani.” Today Trapanese is mostly a surname from Campania.
Are all Trapanis related?
No. Every time someone from Trapani settled elsewhere, a new Trapani family could be born. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Trapani surname noble?
No, the surname is not a sign of nobility. It was carried by families of every walk of life: sailors, salt workers, craftsmen, farmers.
Is there a Trapani family coat of arms?
No. The coat of arms with the sickle above the towers belongs to the city of Trapani, not to the families who bear the surname. Almost no Trapani family ever had a coat of arms.
Where does the name of the city of Trapani come from?
From the Greek Drépanon, “sickle,” after the curved strip of land it stands on. The Romans called it Drepanum, and over the centuries the name became Trapani.
Why are there Trapani families outside Sicily?
Because the surname was born precisely far from the city: in Trapani nobody needed to be called “the Trapani.” You became one when you moved somewhere else.
