Vargiu Surname in Italy

Vargiu is a typically Sardinian surname, attested since medieval times. One explanation links it to an old place name in the Sassari area, in the Curatoria of Anglona, where a village called Vargiu is said to have once existed and later disappeared. Another well-established interpretation derives the surname from Latin varius, meaning “varied, mottled, multicoloured,” which in Sardinian dialects appears in forms such as variu, valgiu, bargiu, braxu and bardzu, with the sense of “bluish” or “grey-blue.” In this reading, the surname would have begun as a nickname, most likely referring to eye colour, as suggested by the phrase ogus braxus, “light-coloured eyes.” Its appearance in ancient Sardinian documents, including the Peace of Eleonora and other medieval records, shows that the name has deep historical roots on the island.