origin of Citrigno

[mariabell]

I am trying to determine the origins of the family name Citrigno. There are very few Citrigno's in Italy (more in the USA & Canada). The largest population of Citrigno's are in the Donnici, cosenza Calabria area.
I have tried to determine if this is a version or variation of another name with little success. where did they come from?
any ideas, theories would be appreciated.

[PeterTimber]

Citrigno is not listed in the Italian surname dictionary and does not appear to be local in origin which indicates it is of foreign origin and may hav been latinized or italianized over time obfuscating its origin.I checked Malta and Albania surnames without any apparent leads. The http://www.genealogytoday.com/surname/f ... e=Citrigno website may be of interest to your researches if you have not already done so. It certainly is a challenge which piques my intrest and hope to come up with something for you in the near future. =Peter=

[mariabell]

Thanks Peter, I have checked Spain and Portugal so they can also be ruled out. I have been asked if it comes from citrine which is a stone I believe. Maybe I should check to see where the stone is mined or sourced? worth a look.

cheers,

Maria

[PeterTimber]

There is an italian word CITRINO which means yellow and while CITRINE is also a good source you must bear in mind that surnames as we now know them usually developed from nicknames. Nicknames are highly personal and can logically be tied to descriptions, occupations, etc and beyond. The surname Citrigno is concentrated in Calabria and Citro, Cedro, Citrus are root words for names in Calabria but with an intermigling of extreme NE Italy sources around Trentino(1054). I have already sent out some feelers for Greek surnames approximating Citrigno only to cover antinquity as a source as well since the italian word for Venus is CITEREA but I suspect that there is a connection between local and imported sources since no italian surname even approximates Citrigno. I will keep probing. =Peter=

[mariabell]

Thanks Peter, I've run out of countries to check! LOL I'll keep hunting, I love mysteries.

Cheers,

Maria

[PeterTimber]

I am pretty much convinced that the surname is local in origin and relates to some specific unknown source (Profession, activity or specialization??) stemming from a base word significant for the Calabrian area where it is highly concentrated. This is conjecture on my part and without substantiation. But I will keep ears and eyes open as it were. =Peter=

[PeterTimber]

My sources in greece got back to me and advised that they could not substantiate if there was a greek root for the surname Citrigino but did advise that the word KITRINO=Yellow may have some significance but that it was merely conjecture on their part. Just thought I would let you know. =Peter=

[Peter Hurley]

Coming late to this thread, but hope people are still checking. My great grandmother was Gaetana Citrino and came from Mangone, Cosenza, Italy (b. 1877). She married Rosario Mazzei & they emigrated to Canada around 1909 (may have been through USA). Gaetana died in Prince Rupert, BC in 1956. Our family has no other knowledge of our Italian roots. Can anyone help? Thank you! Peter Hurley