Marrone
A surname from the Italian word for “brown,” likely first used as a nickname for someone with brown hair, eyes, or complexion.
The #8,617 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,866 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Marrone is an Italian surname built from the word marrone, meaning “brown” or “chestnut-brown.” As a family name, it most likely began as a nickname for someone with brown hair, brown eyes, a dark complexion, or a brown-colored habit or garment. In some cases it may also have been influenced by local dialect forms or by association with the chestnut color sense of the word.
History
The surname is found in Italy and among Italian diaspora communities abroad, especially where Italian immigrants settled in the Americas. Like many Italian surnames derived from color terms, it would originally have been descriptive before becoming hereditary. The modern surname is not especially rare in Italy and is also established in the United States through immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In modern Italian, marrone also means “brown,” so the surname is one of the more straightforwardly color-based Italian family names.