Casanova
A Romance-language surname meaning “new house,” usually from a place-name or a person who lived by a newly built house.
The #3,851 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,556 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Casanova comes from Romance words meaning “new house”: casa “house” + nova “new” in Catalan, Occitan, Italian, and Spanish forms. In surname use, it most often began as a locational name for someone who lived at, or came from, a place called Casanova, or from a recently built house or homestead. The form is especially natural in northern Italy and the wider Catalan/Occitan area, where such compound place-names are common.
History
The name appears in several Romance-speaking regions as a place-name and as a hereditary surname. It is strongly associated with Italy and the Catalan/Occitan zone, and it spread widely through migration, especially into the Americas. The best-known bearer is the 18th-century Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova, whose fame gave the surname unusual international recognition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the surname literally means “new house,” it belongs to the same broad naming pattern as many European surnames formed from homesteads and settlement names.
From the historical record
“l'oc). Casanova. Maison neuve (oc). Casariera. Maison située en ar- liére (Italie). Casaiibon. Bonne métairie (oc),”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)Notable people named Casanova
- Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.