Mariani
A surname of Italian origin meaning “descendant of Mariano” or “belonging to Mary,” common in Italy and among Italian diaspora families.
The #7,287 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,515 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mariani is an Italian surname built from the personal name Mariano, itself from Latin Marianus, meaning “of Marius” or, later, “belonging to Mary.” In Italian naming practice, -i often marks a plural family name, so the form can mean “the Mariani family” or “the descendants of Mariano.” The deeper root is tied to the Roman name Marius and to Christian naming traditions around Maria.
History
The surname is long established in Italy and is especially familiar in central and northern regions, though it occurs more widely across the peninsula. Like many Italian surnames, it spread more broadly in the 19th and 20th centuries through emigration to the Americas and elsewhere. Modern bearers may share the name with unrelated families from different local origins, since Italian surnames often arose independently in multiple places.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Italian surnames ending in -i often began as family-plural forms, Mariani can be read as “the Marianos” rather than a single-person nickname.