Marchese Surname in Italy

Marchese is a surname found throughout Italy, with a particularly strong core in Sicily. It most likely comes from the medieval personal name Marchese, documented in Milan in the 12th century. In some cases, however, it may also have originated as a nickname linked to a family’s relationship with nobility, or to mannerisms and bearing that suggested a “marchese” or noble appearance. Several related forms developed from this base, often with regional or diminutive value. Marchesi is characteristic of the Lombardy-Emilia area; Marchesini is mainly northern Italian, with further branches in the Marche and Lazio; Marchesin is typically Venetian, though in some cases it may be a diminutive form of Marco rather than a direct variant of Marchese; Marchesoni is Trentino; Marchesotti is specific to the Alessandria area; and Marchisotti is Piedmontese, spread along the vertical belt from Verbano through Novara and Alessandria to the Genoese area. Other variants are more localized: Marcheselli has branches in Milan, Mantua, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Pesaro, Florence and Arezzo; Marchesello is extremely rare and appears to be Venetian; Marchesetti is tied to Cremona, Crema and Cologno Monzese; and Marchesino is so rare that it may reflect a transcription error from Marchesini.