Can someone tell me the origin of my name?

[butchergirl]

I have always been told that my last name, Viscariello, is translated as "little butcher" or "little doctor". I know that anything ending in -iello, -ella, or similar means "little" or "small"

[ptimber]

The surname is not listed in the Italy surname dictionary and there is no dictionary word for the surname either so it must, of necessity be local in origin. It does not translate as butcher or Doctor unless it has a local meaning in Italy in the town of origin for your family. The word for butcher in 1427 is Beccaio and it still is the word for butcher to this day. Even a handler of meat is called Carnaiolo. Same for doctor. Peter

[butchergirl]

Thanks for the info, Peter. How can I find out if it was used as in a "local" dialect?

Also, my mother has been tracing her Sicilian roots and she has come across a snag. Her maiden name is Vizzio, but when my youngest brother was in Italy, he was told that it must have been changed from something else, as double vowels don't come immediately after double consonants in the language. Do you know anything about this?

[ptimber]

First ofall there are no Vizzio surnames in Italy but there are 58 cities towns and villages with persons spelling their surname VIZIO and onlly 1 of the 58 is in Sicily with the reest in Piemonte and Lombardia regions in the far north. The Sicilian place for Vizio is in the city of Palermo. I would suspect that Vizzxio was a mispelling and I have a hunch it occurred here in the USA. Have you explored the www.ellisisland.org websiter ofr the arrival of the original family member who immigrated to the USA. Check it out and see if the manifest had a mispelling or someone in your family naturalized using the surname VIZZIO instead of VIZIO. It would be nice to know who is responsible. If you wish to see who the two VIZIO people are in Sicily go to www.paginebianche.it and insert VIZIO in the first line and Sicilia in the third line and click CERCA. Peter

[MIademarco]

Back to the cognome "Viscariello," I assume you know that it is a highly localizing name; 18 of 33 hits are for Airola in the Province of Benevento. Is your family from there? If so, a direct phone call to one of the town persons with this name might rapidly enable you to come up with its meaning? Ciao, Michael

http://elenco.libero.it/elencotel/publi ... onimie.jsp

[suanj]

I have always been told that my last name, Viscariello, is translated as "little butcher" or "little doctor". I know that anything ending in -iello, -ella, or similar means "little" or "small"

The ending -iello (little) are tipically of dialect Naples area..Viscaro/Viscari coming from French surname "Biscard" transformed in italian language VISCARO meaning "Malin, irascible, vif, éveillé, dégourdi"= Malignant, rabid, alive, aroused....This surname are origin French, why The French people was in Naples around 1500 year ....and again around 1800..regards, suanj