DiMaggio
An Italian surname meaning “from Maio,” originally marking someone as the son or descendant of a man named Maio or living near a place associated with that name.
The #8,443 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,923 Americans shares it.
Etymology
DiMaggio is an Italian surname built from the preposition di, meaning “of” or “from,” plus the personal name Maio. Maio is a medieval Italian form related to Latin Maius, the month of May, and in some cases it functioned as a given name or nickname. So the surname most likely meant “of Maio” or “from Maio,” indicating descent from, or association with, a man named Maio.
History
The surname is found in southern Italy and in Italian diaspora communities abroad, especially in the United States. Like many Italian surnames with di + personal name, it could have begun as a patronymic or as a way of identifying a family branch tied to an ancestor named Maio. The best-known bearer is the baseball star Joe DiMaggio, which helped make the name widely recognized in American culture.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Joe DiMaggio’s fame made this relatively uncommon surname familiar to millions of Americans.
Notable people named DiMaggio
- Joe DiMaggio (1914–1999)
- John DiMaggio (b. 1968)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.