Bianchi
An Italian surname meaning “white,” originally a nickname or family-name form from Bianco.
The #4,293 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,270 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bianchi is the plural form of Italian bianco, meaning “white.” In surname use it originally marked a person nicknamed “the white” or “the fair-haired/fair-complexioned one,” and it could also function as a family designation, literally “the Bianchi” or “the whites.” The deeper root is Latin blancus/biancus-type forms that entered Romance languages with the sense “white, bright.”
History
The name is common in Italy and has long been one of the standard Italian surname types. Historical references also connect Bianchi and its singular form Bianco with family naming practices in medieval and early modern Italy, where children could be identified by a parent’s nickname or by a pluralized family form. Related forms such as Bianchini and Bianconi are common diminutive or patronymic derivatives.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Florence, Bianchi and Neri became famous as political faction names, with “the Whites” and “the Blacks” later used for rival groups in medieval Italian politics.
From the historical record
“(oc . Bianchi. Bianco : blanc (Italie) Bid Biard. l" Abréviation de Billard ;”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)