Vaccari Surname in Italy

The surname Vaccari is widespread throughout northern Italy, especially in the Emilia-Romagna region, and is connected to multiple variants with distinct local origins. Vaccarelli is found in L'Aquila and Puglia, Vaccarello is distinctly Sicilian, mainly in Agrigento and certain areas of Ragusa and Palermo. Vaccaretti is very rare and specific to the Vicenza area, Vaccaretto likely derives from the Verona region, and Vaccariello is typically Campanian, particularly in the provinces of Avellino and Caserta. The rare variant Vaccarini appears to have two origins in the Rimini and Ancona areas, with a smaller presence near Milan. Vaccarino seems Sicilian with clusters in the Messina area, Palermo, and parts of Ragusa and Agrigento. Other forms such as Vaccaro are common in central and southern Italy, while surnames like Vaccarone, Vaccaroni, Vaccarotti, and Vaccarotto are extremely rare and linked to territories between Alessandria, Milan, Lazio, and Padua. All these variants originate from nicknames related to the profession of 'vaccaro'—a cattle herder or cowherd—likely practiced by the progenitors. The surname is documented since the 1500s, with notable figures such as Domenico Vaccari, Bishop of Ventimiglia, Monsignor Ercole Vaccari, apostolic protonotary in Naples in the 1600s, and the noble Fabio Vaccaro from Castellamare di Stabia in the 1500s.