Luciano
A Romance-language surname and given-name derivative from the Latin root for “light.”
The #3,486 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,130 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Luciano comes from Latin Lucianus, a name built on lux, lucis, meaning “light.” In Romance languages it survived as a personal name and later as a surname, especially in Italian and Spanish forms. The sense is essentially “of Lucius” or “belonging to the Lucius family,” with an underlying association with light.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers noted Luciano as an Italian form continuing the older Latin name Lucianus, and the same line of development also produced related forms such as Lucien in French. As a surname, it is most often found in Italian- and Spanish-speaking communities or among descendants of migrants from those areas. The name also appears as a given name, which can make surname and forename histories overlap.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Luciano also lies behind a whole family of names associated with light, including Lucian, Lucienne, and Lucy.
From the historical record
“Lucian, m. Eng. Lat. I'ght, 133 Luciana, /. It. Lat. light, 132 Luciano, to. It. Lat. light, 133 Lucianus, m. Lat. light, 133 Lucie, /. Fr. Lat. light, 132 Lucien, m. Fr. Lat. lipht, 133 Lucienne,/. Fr. Lat. light, 132 Lucifer, m. Eng. Lat. light bringer,”
— History of Christian Names