What's the etymology of the surname Delvecchio?
I know there's a Plaza Vecchio in Florence. They can't all be from there :o).
The literal translation is not a name I would prefer.
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6In Florence you find “Palazzo Vecchio”, which means “old hall”, so it’s not named after somebody. “Plaza” is not an Italian word.– egreg ♦Sep 20, 2020 at 6:47
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1 Answer
Deriva da forme patronimiche relative a capostipiti il cui padre era soprannominato Vecchio. Tracce di una famiglia Del Vecchio si trova a Firenze fin dal 1200. Il cognome Del Vecchio è tipico della zona centro meridionale dell'Italia. Delvecchio ha un ceppo in Lombardia tra milanese e bergamasco, uno in Emilia-Romagna tra ravennate, forlivese, riminese e pesarese, ed uno in Puglia tra foggiano, barese e brindisino.
(It derives from patronymic forms relating to progenitors whose father was nicknamed Vecchio. Traces of a Del Vecchio family has been in Florence since 1200. The surname Del Vecchio is typical of the central southern area of Italy. Delvecchio has a lineage in Lombardy between Milan and Bergamo, one in Emilia-Romagna between Ravenna, Forlì, Rimini and Pesaro, and one in Puglia between Foggia, Bari and Brindisi.)
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2OP, it is clear to you that vecchio, by itself, means “old”? So apparently this hypothetic forefather so nicknamed was especially old, or had a son in old age or something.– DaGSep 21, 2020 at 13:08
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@DaG - in Middle Ages growing old (by current standards) was far less common than it is nowadays. So, probably, families who had old living grandfathers, for instance, might have been referred to as “Del Vecchio”. That’s the way I understand it, and it doesn’t appear that incredible.– HachiSep 21, 2020 at 13:12
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2I agree perfectly, @Hachi. I was just pointing out to the OP the meaning of the Italian word vecchio in case they don't know it, or else they wouldn't understand what “was nicknamed Vecchio” would entail.– DaGSep 21, 2020 at 13:17