Sanfilippo
An Italian surname meaning “of Saint Philip,” originally referring to someone connected with a church, place, or family devoted to St. Philip.
The #7,929 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,986 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sanfilippo is an Italian surname built from san, meaning “saint,” and Filippo, the Italian form of Philip, from Latin Philippus. In origin it likely meant “(the one) of Saint Philip” or “from the place dedicated to Saint Philip,” a common pattern in Italian surnames formed from saints’ names. It may also have begun as a devotional or identifying name for someone living near a church or locality named for St. Philip.
History
The surname is especially associated with southern Italy and is common in Sicilian and other Italian-American families. Like many Italian surnames written as one word, it likely developed from an older phrase that was later fixed as a family name. Its spread outside Italy followed emigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Origin
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Fun fact
Because it preserves the saint’s name inside the surname, Sanfilippo is one of those Italian names that reads almost like a small devotional phrase.