Geraci
An Italian surname most likely taken from the place name Geraci, especially Geraci Siculo in Sicily.
The #8,791 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 82,796 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most likely locational, referring to someone who came from Geraci, a town in Sicily. The name is tied to Italian place-name usage rather than to a personal descriptor. In Sicilian and Italian family-name formation, surnames from towns and villages are common.
History
Geraci is especially associated with Sicily, where Geraci Siculo is a well-known town in the province of Palermo. As a surname, it would have spread through migration from Sicily to other parts of Italy and later overseas, including the United States. The surname is relatively uncommon in the US, which fits a regional Italian origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Geraci Siculo is a mountain town in the Madonie range, and surnames from Sicilian villages often preserve that local origin for centuries.
From the historical record
“Areola, Solferino, Magenta, Lucca, Taranto, Brindisi, Bres- cia, Casanova, - Elba, Li pari, - Terranova, Ragusa, Cefalu, Geraci, Cerda, Tivoli, - Catania, Messina, Campobello, Taor- mina, Termini, Nicosia. Bronte, Palma, Palermo, Marsala, Eufemia, Siracusa, Spartivento, - Manfredonia, Puzzuli (Puz- zuoli), Maremma.…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames