Ruggiero
An Italian surname from the medieval personal name Ruggiero, the Italian form of Roger, meaning roughly “famous spear.”
The #3,825 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,331 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ruggiero comes from the medieval given name Ruggiero, the Italian form of Roger. Roger ultimately goes back to Germanic roots commonly analyzed as elements meaning “fame” and “spear.” In other words, the original sense is usually given as something like “famous spear” or “renowned by the spear.”
History
The name became familiar in Italy through medieval and literary usage, and it appears in romance tradition as one of the well-known chivalric names. As a surname, Ruggiero would originally have meant “son of Ruggiero” or belonged to a family descended from a bearer of that personal name. It is especially associated with southern Italy in modern distribution, though it is found more widely in Italian diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Ruggiero was one of the heroic names that spread widely through Italian romance and epic literature, helping keep the name popular for generations.
From the historical record
“Rüge 593. Ruggieri 222. Ruggiero 245. Ruhe 593, 610. Ruhig 410, 610. Ruhkopf 593. Ruhl 179. Ruhmland 618.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen