Tolentino
A surname from the Italian town of Tolentino, originally identifying someone who came from there.
The #3,180 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,152 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tolentino is a habitational surname, formed from the name of the Italian town of Tolentino in the Marche region. The place-name goes back to Latin forms connected with the Roman-era settlement there, and the surname simply means a person from Tolentino. In surnames, this kind of place-based naming was often used to identify migrants or families who had moved away from their home town.
History
The name is well established in Italy and also appears in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities, where it can be carried by families of Italian or Hispanic background. In modern usage it is also found in the Americas through migration from Italy and Latin America. The surname is especially familiar in religious history because Saint Nicholas of Tolentino helped keep the place-name visible beyond Italy.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino (1246–1305) is one of the best-known bearers of the place-name and helped popularize it in Christian tradition.
From the historical record
“Tolano 109. Toldi 562. *Tolentino 445. Tolet 195. *Tolkemit 395. Toll 286. Tolle 286. Tollen 647.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen