Longo
An Italian surname meaning “long,” originally used as a nickname or descriptive byname for a tall or lanky person.
The #2,864 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,515 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Longo comes from Italian lungo/longo, from Latin longus, meaning “long” or “tall.” As a surname, it most likely began as a nickname for someone notably tall or long-limbed, or less often as a descriptive label for a place-name-related byname. The form Longo is especially associated with southern and central Italian naming tradition, though the underlying word is pan-Romance.
History
The surname is well established in Italy and appears in historical records as a descriptive byname rather than a patronymic. In English and Anglo-Norman records, similar-looking forms sometimes reflect Latinized place-bynames such as de Longo Prato (“of the long meadow”), but the modern surname Longo itself is chiefly Italian. It is now common in Italian diaspora communities, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In medieval Latin records, a form like de Longo Prato could mean “from the long meadow,” showing how descriptive phrases could later look like surnames.
From the historical record
“presume it is 10. 'Graland de Longo Campn te ...ry FrMhwi. London. 7-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances