Schiavone
An Italian surname meaning “Slav” or “the Slav,” originally a label for someone from the eastern Adriatic or a related Slavic background.
The #9,895 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,504 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schiavone comes from Italian schiavone, a word used for a Slav or Slavic person, ultimately from Medieval Latin Sclavus. In many Italian surnames, this kind of label began as an ethnic or regional nickname for someone identified by origin, appearance, or association rather than as a hereditary family name from the start. The form was later fixed as a surname, especially in southern and central Italy.
History
The surname is found in Italy and in Italian diaspora communities abroad, especially in the Americas. It may also reflect historical contact between Italian-speaking communities and Slavic peoples along the Adriatic. In some cases, surnames of this type can have started as bynames for newcomers or soldiers and then became inherited family names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Italian has several surnames from ethnic nicknames, and Schiavone is one of the clearest examples of a name that literally began as a label for a Slavic person.