The distinguished surname Lupo originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Lupo came from the Latin name lupus, which means wolf.
The surname Lupo was first found in the ancient city of Orvieto, with the Lupicini family, one of the 100 noble families in the city in 1025.
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Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Lupo include Lupo, Lupi, Lupis, Luppi, Luppo, Luppis, Lovo, Lupelli, Lupetti, Lupatti, Lupattelli, Lupini, Lupino, Lupicini, Lupoli, Luppoli, Lupori, Luporini, Luparini, Luperini, Lupone, Lupati, Lupacchino, Luparello, Lupieri, Lovelli, Lovini, Luvini, Lovotti, Luvotti, Luvotto, Lovatti, Lovattini, Lovari, Lovarini, Lovati, Lovato and many more.
Prominent among members of the family was Bernardino dal Vasto Lupacchino, a 16th century madrigal composer. Also prominent were members of the Lupo family, who were famous for their musical talents from 1540 to 1640. Of this family was Ambroso da Milan Lupo, a violinist, who produced four sons, also violinists. Tommaso Lupi of Pisa was a famous novelist and grammar teacher in 1602...
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In the United States, the name Lupo is the 6,071st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]
Immigrants bearing the name Lupo or a variant listed above include: