Mastromonaco, what do I know about it...
My last name has always drawn attention and questions. I created this website to share what I know, which isn't much. If your last name isn't Mastromonaco then this site will probably be kinda boring to you.
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Mastromonaco Name - Source: The Historical Research Center ®
Where do I start? For now, I'm going to just post what I know about my last name. Send me an email if you have any information.
Italian surname Mastromonaco is considered by scholars to be of two distinct origins. The surname Mastromonaco is a compound surname composed of the elements "mastro" and "monaco" . . .
MASTRO
First element of the surname
In the first element, the surname is considered to be of occupational origin, making references to the trade or profession pursued by the initial bearer of the name. The word "mastro" is derived from the Latin word "magister" meaning "master".
MONACO
Second element of the surname
The second element of this surname "monaco" is derived from the term "monaco" meaning "monk" or "friar" in turn derived from the ecclesiastical Latin "monachus" and the Greek "monakhos".
ORIGIN
Original bearer of the surname Mastromonaco
We may therefore imagine that this family name as having arisen from a nickname which designated the original bearer as an individual who acted the role of a friar in a medieval pageant as their profession. Given this analysis, it can he deduced that the original bearer of the surname Mastromonaco was a master of his trade whose personal name was Monaco and he was thus named Mastromonaco.
SURNAME
The first use of the surname
It was only in the tenth or eleventh century that the use of surnames began in Italy. Even then the custom was first instituted only amongst the patricians and it took another eight hundred years for it to become an all pervasive institution.