Mazzola
An Italian surname, likely from a nickname or place-name built on roots linked to a mallet, hammer, or rough/brushy terrain.
The #8,485 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,471 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mazzola is an Italian surname with more than one plausible source. It may come from Italian mazza, meaning a club, mace, or hammer, with Mazzola as a nickname for someone associated with such a tool or with a forceful character. In some cases it may also be locational or descriptive, connected to dialect words for brushwood or scrubby ground. The exact origin can vary by family line, so the surname is best treated as having an uncertain but distinctly Italian background.
History
The name is well established in Italy, especially in the north and central regions, and it later spread widely through Italian migration to the Americas. A notable bearer was the Renaissance painter Vincenzo Mazzola, better known as Moretto da Brescia, whose family name helped keep the surname visible in art history references. In the modern United States, Mazzola is present but relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is often associated in surname studies with the same word family as Italian mazza, a “club” or “mace,” which makes it one of several Italian names rooted in everyday tools or sturdy objects.