Mauro
A surname from Latin and Romance roots, often linked to the personal name Maurus or to place-names associated with St. Maurus.
The #4,594 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,983 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mauro is generally connected with Latin Maurus, meaning “Moor” or “dark-skinned,” which became a personal name in medieval Europe. In Romance languages it could function as a given name before becoming a hereditary surname. Some historical sources also connect forms like de Sancto Mauro with place-name or saint-name origins, especially in French and Norman records.
History
The name appears in medieval Latinized forms such as de Sancto Mauro, showing its use in religious or locative contexts as well as as a personal name. In later centuries Mauro became established as a surname in Italy and in other Romance-language areas, and it is also found in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. English antiquarian works sometimes discussed related surnames such as Seymour under similar Latin forms, but Mauro itself is best understood as a Romance surname with saint-name and personal-name associations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Mauro is both a surname and a traditional given name, so in some families it may have started as a father's name before becoming hereditary.
From the historical record
“This name was Latinized (e.g. in the Hundred-Rolls) de Sancto Mauro. (Teut.) for Seamer, q.v. SEYS, v. Sayce.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)