Rizzo Surname: Origin and Coat of Arms
What does Rizzo mean, and where does it come from? Here is a brief introduction.
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Origin of the Rizzo name
Rizzo is a southern Italian form of Ricci, from riccio, "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is especially common in Sicily, Calabria and Campania. Related northern forms include Ricci and Rizzi, and the name travelled widely with Italian emigrants.
Curly-haired Sicilians
Rizzo is a southern form of riccio, "curly", and began as a nickname for someone with curly hair; Wikipedia also links it to the surnames Ricci and Risso. It is strongly southern, and Sicily shows the highest frequency of any Italian region.
Forebears estimates about 78,000 people named Rizzo in Italy, where it ranks about 16th. Wikipedia's breakdown puts roughly 55% of all bearers in Italy and 18% in the United States, where the 2010 Census counted 18,605. Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador follow. Notable bearers include the Renaissance painter Francesco Rizzo da Santacroce and the diplomat Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, once Deputy Secretary General of NATO.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Rizzo name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Rizzo name in Italy. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Argentina and Brazil; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
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Your full Rizzo pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Rizzo coat of arms for you.
Rizzo name FAQ
What does the Rizzo name mean?
Curly-haired. Common variants include Ricci, Rizzi, Lo Rizzo.
Where does the Rizzo surname come from?
It originates in Italy, and is also found in the United States, Argentina and Brazil.
Is there a Rizzo coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Rizzo crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Rizzo coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
What does Rizzo mean?
Curly-haired; it is a southern Italian form of riccio.
Is Rizzo Sicilian?
It is most frequent in Sicily, though it is found across southern Italy.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: De Felice, Dizionario dei cognomi italiani; Caffarelli & Marcato, I cognomi d'Italia. Facts and figures: Forebears surname distribution (estimates); US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file; Wikipedia, "Rizzo (surname)". Forebears figures are modelled estimates, rounded.