Antonio
A surname usually taken from the given name Anthony or Antonio, meaning “of Anthony/Antonio.”
The #2,358 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,969 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Antonio is a surname formed from the personal name Antonio, the Romance form of Latin Antonius. In that sense it is a patronymic surname: it originally identified someone as the son or family of a man named Antonio/Anthony. The deeper meaning of Antonius itself is uncertain and is not securely explained.
History
The name appears as a hereditary surname in several Romance-language areas, especially Italy and Spain, and it also spread more widely through migration. In English records and reference works, it is often treated alongside related forms such as Antony, Antoine, and patronymic derivatives like Antonison. Because the surname can arise independently in different countries, bearers of Antonio may have unrelated family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Antonio also produced countless surnames and given names across Europe, making it one of the most widely spread classical name bases.
From the historical record
“surname Sleeper. The name Slipper has been connected with the Spanish name Zapata ; and zapdta, zapdto is a kind of half-boot. Mellado gives three Spaniards of the name of Zapata — Antonio Zapata de Cisneros, a cardinal, born at Madrid in 1550 ; Antonio LUDUS PATRONYMICUS. 99”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames