Verde Surname in Italy

The surname Verde and many of its variants come from the medieval personal name Verde, the Italian form of the Germanic name Bert, originally meaning “bright” or “famous”. The spelling was also reinforced by the word verde, through phonetic developments such as betacism and tetacism. In some families, a nickname connected with the color green may also be behind the surname. The personal name Verde is historically attested in Siena in the 13th century. As a surname, Verde is characteristic of the Naples and Caserta area, with possible secondary branches in Apulia and Sicily. The related forms show different regional patterns: Verdi is found between Milan, Pavia, Emilia and Florence; Verdelli between Cremona, Bergamo and Arezzo; Verdina in the Varese area and in smaller groups across Lombardy, Tuscany and Sicily; Verdini in the Marche and in Rome; Verdino mainly in Campania, with a branch in Liguria; Verdolin in the Verona area; Verdolini between Ancona, Macerata and Perugia, with another branch in Rome; Verdolino in the Naples area; Verdona probably in the Genoa area; Verdone in the belt covering Rome, Latina, Frosinone, Caserta and Naples, with a branch also in Palermo; Verdoni probably Roman; and Verducci mainly in the Marche, Umbria and Rome, with a small branch in Salento.