Surnames have all sorts of origins. Often they are associated with a particular place, or with a particular trade. For example, an English-speaker whose surname is ‘Cooper’ can reasonably assume that one of their ancestors worked in the barrel-making business.
In Italy, some of the most intriguing, and saddest, origin stories for surnames are associated with that country’s long history of caring for abandoned newborn infants. Italian civil records contain many examples of children for whom little background information is available because they were abandoned at or shortly after birth. Many were born out of wedlock to young, poor, unmarried mothers, who chose to leave them at a ruota dei proietti or ‘foundling wheel’ that allowed them to discreetly deposit an infant at a suitable establishment.
Having no knowledge of who the babies’ families were, the authorities often gave them surnames such as ‘Esposito’, which means ‘exposed’ or ‘abandoned,’ ‘Innocenti’, which means ‘innocent one’ or ‘Trovato,’ which means ‘found’. Many of these surnames are still relatively common today, and anyone bearing one is likely to have an ancestor whose life started out in a foundling hospital.
