This list includes 58 Italian last names that start with C, from “Cacciatore” to “Cuzzoni”. Many of these surnames derive from occupations, place names, or nicknames and show regional patterns across Italy.
Italian last names that start with C are family names beginning with the letter C used throughout Italy. For example, “Cacciatore” means “hunter” and reflects the common practice of turning occupations into surnames.
Below you’ll find the table with the columns: Surname, Meaning, Region, Notable people, and Variants.
Surname: You see the family name as listed; use it to look up records or confirm spellings across sources.
Meaning: This gives a concise etymology or literal meaning, helping you understand the name’s origin or original occupation.
Region: Shows the Italian regions or provinces where the surname is most common, useful for narrowing searches.
Notable people: Lists 1–3 notable bearers with roles and dates so you can connect names to historical or cultural figures.
Variants: Includes spelling variants and regional forms so you recognize alternate forms in records and indexes.
Italian last names that start with C
| Surname | Meaning | Region/Distribution | Variants & Notable bearers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conti | Plural of “count”, title-derived surname | Lazio, Campania, Lombardia; ~30,000 | Conte — Michelangelo Conti — Pope Innocent XIII, 1655–1724, Andrea Conti — footballer, b.1994 |
| Conte | Count or steward; title or nickname | Campania, Puglia, Sicilia; ~20,000 | Conti, Conteau — Paolo Conte — singer-songwriter, b.1937, Pier Ferdinando Conte — politician, b.1955 |
| Colombo | Dove; also linked to Cristoforo Colombo | Lombardia, Piemonte, Sicilia; ~18,000 | Colombi, Colomba — Cristoforo Colombo — explorer, 1451–1506, Ambrogio Colombo — priest, 16th c. |
| Costa | Coast or slope; from location or landscape | Sicilia, Campania, Calabria; ~25,000 | Coste, De Costa — Andrea Costa — politician, 1851–1910, Raffaele Costa — politician, b.1947 |
| Caruso | Beloved, from Latin carus | Sicilia, Campania; ~8,000 | Caruso, Carusi — Enrico Caruso — tenor, 1873–1921, Jonny Caruso — artist, b.1970 |
| Carbone | Derived from “coal” or charcoal worker | Calabria, Campania, Puglia; ~6,000 | Carboni, Carbonaro — Angelo Carbone — footballer, b.1968 |
| Cattaneo | Likely Lombard toponymic or noble family name | Lombardia, Piemonte; ~6,500 | Cattani, Cattaneo della — Alessandro Cattaneo — politician, b.1979 |
| Coppola | From “cap” or hood; also regional nickname | Campania, Sicilia; ~9,000 | Coppoli, Coppolino — Francis Ford Coppola — director, b.1939, Sofia Coppola — director, b.1971 |
| Caputo | From Latin caput “head”, nickname | Campania, Puglia; ~7,000 | Caputi, Capucci — Francesco Caputo — footballer, b.1990 |
| Capelli | Hair, descriptive nickname | Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna; ~3,000 | Capello, Capellini — Fabio Capelli — musician, b.1960 |
| Capra | Goat, nickname or occupational | Piemonte, Lombardia; ~2,500 | Caprara, Caprani — Giulia Capra — artist, b.1978 |
| Corsi | From “Court” or place name Corsa/Corsi | Toscana, Lazio; ~4,000 | Corso, Corsini — Domenico Corsi — merchant family (historical) |
| Cavalli | Horses, occupational or nickname | Lombardia, Veneto; ~3,500 | Cavallo, Cavallini — Francesco Cavalli — composer, 1602–1676 |
| Cavallo | Horse, descriptive or occupational | Campania, Puglia; ~3,000 | Cavalli, Cavallone — Nicola Cavallo — politician, b.1960 |
| Ciccone | Diminutive of “Cecco” (Francesco) | Lombardia, Sicilia; ~4,000 | Cicconi, Ciccòne — Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone) — singer, b.1958 |
| Cipolla | Onion, occupational or nickname | Sicilia, Campania; ~3,000 | Cipollini, Cipollone — Mario Cipollini — cyclist, b.1967 |
| Cipollini | Diminutive of “Cipolla”, agricultural nickname | Toscana, Emilia-Romagna; ~1,800 | Cipolla, Cipollone — Mario Cipollini — cyclist, b.1967 |
| Ciampi | Likely from “Ciampa” or regional nickname | Toscana, Lazio; ~1,500 | Ciampini — Carlo Azeglio Ciampi — President of Italy, 1920–2016 |
| Chiellini | Diminutive of “chiello” or local dialectal root | Toscana, Liguria; ~1,200 | Chielli — Giorgio Chiellini — footballer, b.1984 |
| Chiesa | Church, toponymic or occupational | Piemonte, Lombardia; ~2,200 | Chiesi, Della Chiesa — Enrico Chiesa — footballer, b.1970, Federico Chiesa — footballer, b.1997 |
| Chiari | From “clear” or town of Chiari (Brescia) | Lombardia; ~1,000 | Chiaretti — Cesare Chiari — painter (historical) |
| Clerici | Clerics, occupational or status name | Lombardia, Toscana; ~2,500 | Clerico, De Clerici — Franco Clerici — industrialist, b.1950 |
| Colonna | Column, noble Roman family name | Lazio (Rome); ~1,800 | Della Colonna, Colonnese — Prospero Colonna — condottiero, 1452–1523 |
| Cassini | From “Cassino” or Latin cassinus | Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna; ~900 | Cassino, Cassinelli — Giovanni Domenico Cassini — astronomer, 1625–1712 |
| Casini | From “casina” or little house, toponymic | Toscana, Emilia-Romagna; ~2,000 | Casina, De Casini — Pier Ferdinando Casini — politician, b.1955 |
| Casale | From “casale”, farmhouse or hamlet | Piemonte, Lombardia; ~1,700 | Casali, Di Casale — Pietro Casale — local historical figure |
| Castelli | From “castello” (castle), toponymic | Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia; ~4,500 | Castello, Della Castella — Mario Castelli — architect, b.1940 |
| Castiglioni | From “castiglio” (small castle), noble family | Lombardia; ~1,000 | Castiglione, Castigliano — Achille Castiglioni — designer, 1918–2002 |
| Castagna | Chestnut, occupational or locational | Campania, Sicilia; ~1,200 | Castagni, Castagneto — Raffaele Castagna — athlete, b.1985 |
| Catalano | Catalan, one from Catalonia or nickname | Sicilia, Calabria; ~3,000 | Catalani, Catalanotti — Francesco Catalano — writer, b.1960 |
| Cavalcanti | From “cavalcare” (to ride), noble Florentine family | Toscana; ~600 | Cavalcante — Guido Cavalcanti — poet, c.1255–1300 |
| Cacciatore | Hunter, occupational | Campania, Sicilia; ~2,200 | Cacciatori, Cacciatorelli — Giulio Cacciatore — athlete, b.1993 |
| Cadorna | Toponymic or nobiliary, Lombard origins | Lombardia, Piemonte; ~300 | De Cadorna — Luigi Cadorna — general, 1850–1928 |
| Cecchi | Diminutive/patronymic of Cecco (Francesco) | Toscana, Emilia-Romagna; ~2,800 | Cecchio, Cecchino — Enrico Cecchi — actor, b.1962 |
| Cecchini | Plural/diminutive form of Cecco, patronymic | Toscana, Marche; ~2,000 | Cecchi, Cecchinetti — Francisco Cecchini — sportsman, b.1970 |
| Cecchetti | Diminutive of Cecco; notable in ballet history | Toscana; ~400 | Cecchettini — Enrico Cecchetti — ballet dancer, 1850–1928 |
| Crespi | Curly or from “Crespo”, nickname | Lombardia, Lombardia (Brianza); ~1,200 | Crespi d’Adda — Cristoforo Benigno Crespi — industrialist, 1833–1920 |
| Crescenzi | From given name Crescenzo, patronymic | Lazio, Abruzzo; ~800 | Crescenzo, De Crescenzi — Count Crescenzi — medieval noble family |
| Cristofori | From given name Cristoforo, patronymic | Toscana, Veneto; ~300 | Cristoforo, Cristoforiello — Bartolomeo Cristofori — inventor of piano, 1655–1731 |
| Cristiani | From given name Cristiano, patronymic | Veneto, Emilia-Romagna; ~700 | Cristiano, De Cristiani — Luigi Cristiani — local politician |
| Cucchi | Possibly occupational (potter) or nickname | Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna; ~600 | Cucchioli — Stefano Cucchi — notable case figure, 1978–2009 |
| Cucinelli | Little cook or occupational diminutive | Umbria, Emilia-Romagna; ~200 | Cucina, Cucinello — Brunello Cucinelli — entrepreneur, b.1953 |
| Cuoco | Cook, occupational | Campania, Lombardia; ~1,500 | Cuocolo, Cuocchi — Kaley Cuoco — actress, b.1985 (of Italian descent) |
| Curci | Regional surname, possibly from “curia” or local roots | Puglia, Campania; ~1,000 | Curcio, Curzì — Franco Curci — musician, b.1965 |
| Cuzzoni | From regional nickname or place; notable soprano family | Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna; ~100 | Cuzzone, Cuzzone — Francesca Cuzzoni — soprano, 1696–1778 |
| Cuomo | From Neapolitan “uomo” (man), nickname | Campania (Naples); ~2,500 | Cuomò, De Cuomo — Mario Cuomo — politician, 1932–2015, Andrew Cuomo — politician, b.1957 |
| Corti | From “corte” (court), occupational/toponymic | Lombardia, Piemonte; ~2,200 | Corte, Cortesi — Aldo Corti — writer, b.1950 |
| Cortese | Courteous, descriptive nickname | Campania, Toscana; ~1,800 | Cortesi, Cortesini — Elisabetta Cortese — politician, b.1965 |
| Cavalieri | Knights or title-associated name | Lazio, Sicilia; ~900 | Cavalier, De Cavalieri — Guido Cavalieri — engineer, 1874–1951 |
| Cazzaniga | Likely Lombard toponymic or occupational | Lombardia; ~700 | Cazzani, Cazzanegra — Gennaro Cazzaniga — athlete, b.1988 |
| Chiarini | From “chiaro” (clear) or toponymic | Toscana, Emilia-Romagna; ~600 | Chiarino, Chiariniello — Valerio Chiarini — musician, b.1975 |
| Cossutta | Venetian/Friulian origin, Slavic-influenced family name | Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto; ~300 | Cossuti, Cossutta — Armando Cossutta — politician, 1926–2015 |
| Cuneo | Toponymic from the town of Cuneo or province | Piemonte, Liguria; ~500 | Da Cuneo, Cunéo — Aldo Cuneo — artist, 1890–1958 |
| Curti | From Latin curtus “short”, nickname | Campania, Lazio; ~1,100 | Curtis, Curto — Antonio Curti — historical figure |
| Curcio | Diminutive or regional form of Curti/Curto | Campania, Puglia; ~1,200 | Curci, Curcini — Salvatore Curcio — businessman, b.1960 |
| Croce | Cross, devotional or toponymic | Campania, Puglia; ~2,000 | Croci, Della Croce — Benedetto Croce — philosopher, 1866–1952 |
| Crotti | Likely Lombard dialectal form of “croce” or local root | Lombardia; ~400 | Crotta, Crotonese — Paolo Crotti — local politician |
Descriptions
Conti
Title-derived surname (occupational/patronymic), widespread in central and southern Italy. Think nobles and officials; notable bearers include Pope Innocent XIII (Michelangelo Conti) and footballer Andrea Conti.
Conte
From the noble title “conte”, common in south and islands. Often occupational or descriptive; Paolo Conte is a famous singer-songwriter.
Colombo
Toponymic/descriptive origin (bird symbol); extremely common, notably borne by explorer Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus).
Costa
Toponymic surname for families near coasts or ridges. Widespread across southern Italy with many regional branches; notable politicians include Andrea Costa.
Caruso
Descriptive/pet form meaning “dear” or “beloved”, especially common in southern Italy. Famous bearer Enrico Caruso, the celebrated tenor.
Carbone
Occupational surname for charcoal burners or coal merchants, concentrated in the south; Angelo Carbone is a modern sports figure.
Cattaneo
Toponymic/noble origin in northern Italy, notably Lombardy; includes several political and mercantile families.
Coppola
Originally a nickname from cap/hood, now a well-known Campanian surname; famous cinematic family: Francis and Sofia Coppola.
Caputo
Descriptive or occupational nickname evolving into a surname, common in southern Italy; includes contemporary figures in sports.
Capelli
Descriptive surname from physical feature, frequent in northern and central regions.
Capra
Descriptive or occupational (goatherd), sometimes toponymic; more frequent in northern Italy.
Corsi
Toponymic or occupational (court servant) with strong Tuscan presence; Corsini and Corsi recur in Florentine history.
Cavalli
Occupational or descriptive surname tied to horses or horsemen; composer Francesco Cavalli is a notable historical bearer.
Cavallo
Similar to Cavalli; found across southern Italy as occupational/descriptive surname.
Ciccone
Patronymic/diminutive of Francesco (Cecco); well known internationally via Madonna (Ciccone).
Cipolla
Occupational or nickname tied to onion cultivation/market trade; Mario Cipollini is a famous cyclist from Tuscany.
Cipollini
A diminutive form of Cipolla, often from regions with onion cultivation; Mario Cipollini is a standout bearer.
Ciampi
Patronymic or regional nickname; Carlo Azeglio Ciampi served as Italy’s president (1999–2006).
Chiellini
Regional/dialectal origin, most associated today with defender Giorgio Chiellini from Tuscany.
Chiesa
Toponymic or occupational (church-related), present in northern Italy; Enrico and Federico Chiesa are notable footballers.
Chiari
Either descriptive “clear” or toponymic from Chiari in Brescia; northern Italian roots.
Clerici
Occupational name for clerks or clerics; historically notable in Lombardy’s merchant classes.
Colonna
Ancient noble toponymic family from Rome; the Colonna played major roles in medieval and Renaissance Italy.
Cassini
Toponymic origin; Giovanni Domenico Cassini was a famed 17th-century astronomer.
Casini
Toponymic or locative name common in central Italy; Pier Ferdinando Casini is a contemporary politician.
Casale
Toponymic surname from farmsteads or hamlets, strong in northern Italy.
Castelli
Toponymic/noble name indicating association with a castle; common in the north.
Castiglioni
Toponymic and noble family name, notable designers Achille and Livio Castiglioni hailed from this surname.
Castagna
Toponymic or descriptive tied to chestnut groves; appears in southern regions.
Catalano
Ethnonymic surname originally applied to people from Catalonia or trade connections; common in Sicily.
Cavalcanti
Medieval Florentine noble family name tied to horsemanship; Guido Cavalcanti is a key Dolce Stil Novo poet.
Cacciatore
Clearly occupational, denoting a hunter; widespread in the south.
Cadorna
Nobiliary/toponymic surname from northern Italy; Luigi Cadorna was an Italian general during World War I.
Cecchi
Patronymic/diminutive common in central Italy; many artists and merchants bear this name.
Cecchini
Patronymic family name variation, often from central Italy.
Cecchetti
Patronymic diminutive; Enrico Cecchetti founded a famous ballet technique and school.
Crespi
Descriptive or toponymic, linked to notable industrial families like the Crespi of Crespi d’Adda.
Crescenzi
Patronymic derived from a personal name, historically linked to Roman and medieval families.
Cristofori
Patronymic surname; Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the pianoforte in the late 17th/early 18th century.
Cristiani
Patronymic from the personal name Cristiano; present in northern regions.
Cucchi
Regional surname with multiple possible origins; Stefano Cucchi’s 2009 death drew national attention.
Cucinelli
Occupational diminutive; Brunello Cucinelli is a modern fashion entrepreneur from Umbria.
Cuoco
Clearly occupational; known internationally as a surname borne by several actors and chefs.
Curci
Likely locative or occupational roots in the south; moderate regional concentration.
Cuzzoni
Historic surname tied to a famed 18th-century operatic soprano, Francesca Cuzzoni; regional Italian roots.
Cuomo
Neapolitan descriptor (“man”) turned surname; prominent in politics via Mario and Andrew Cuomo (Italian-American figures).
Corti
Toponymic/occupational name linked to court service; common in northern Italy.
Cortese
Descriptive adjective-turned-surname meaning polite or courteous, found across Italy.
Cavalieri
Title-derived or occupational (knight), appears across regions; historically linked to orders and honors.
Cazzaniga
Northern Italian surname with Lombard roots; moderate regional concentration.
Chiarini
Descriptive or toponymic, common in central-northern Italy.
Cossutta
Regional northeastern surname with historical political figures like Armando Cossutta.
Cuneo
Toponymic surname tied to Piedmont; appears among merchants and artists.
Curti
Descriptive nickname turned family name, more common in southern-central Italy.
Curcio
Regional derivative of Curti/Curto, frequent in Campania.
Croce
Devotional/toponymic surname linked to the cross or chapels; Benedetto Croce is a major 20th-century philosopher.
Crotti
Regional Lombard surname with modest presence.