Show ContentsPesce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Pesce

What does the name Pesce mean?

Venice, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Pesce. 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 are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common than other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Pesce is a common occupational name for a fisherman. The surname Pesce is derived from the Italian word pesce, which is itself derived from the Latin word piscis, which means fish. The surname Pesce is also a nickname type of surname for a person who resembled a fish.

Pesce Ranking

In the United States, the name Pesce is the 9,409th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Pesce is ranked the 6,964th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


Pesce migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pesce Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Adolfo Pesce, aged 3, who immigrated to America from Guisvalla, Italy, in 1910
  • Angelo Eugenio Pesce, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Torino, Italy, in 1911
  • Angela Pesce, aged 19, who landed in America from Grumo Appula, Italy, in 1912
  • Anna Pesce, aged 17, who settled in America from Rutigliano, Italy, in 1913
  • Andrea Pesce, aged 40, who settled in America from F. Felice, Itlay, in 1914
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Pesce (post 1700) +

  • Molly Pesce, American actress
  • P.J. Pesce, American film director and writer
  • Mark D. Pesce (b. 1962), American-born, Australian author, researcher, engineer, futurist and teacher
  • Gaetano Pesce (1939-2024), Italian architect and a design pioneer of the 20th century
  • Simone Pesce (b. 1982), Italian football midfielder


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


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