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| Origins Available: |
| | Italy |
From the historical and enchanting Italian region of the islands of Sicily emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Mancuso family. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Mancuso is a name for a person who is left handed. The name Manco is derived from the Italian word mancino, which means a left-handed man. In fact, "Manco" is the southern form of the word mancino. Alternatively, the surname Manco is of local origin and is derived from the place-name Mancusi, a town in the Benevento region of Italy, south of Naples.
The surname Mancuso was first found in the small town of Taormina, which is on the Eastern coast of the island, near the famous volcanic Mount Etna. A well known member of the family at this time was Girolamo Mancuso, who was a cavalier for the Emperor Charles V
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mancuso research. The year 1595 is included under the topic Early Mancuso History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Mancuso include LaMancusa, LoMancuso, Manco, Manconi, Mancosu, Mancusi, Mancuso, Mangusi and many more.
Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was
In the United States, the name Mancuso is the 3,260th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1
Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Mancuso: