Frequency: (129)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Italian: from legato ‘legate’, ‘envoy of the Roman Catholic Church’, presumably either a nickname for one who gave himself the air of a papal legate, or an occupational name for someone in the service of a legate.
GIVEN NAMES: Italian 10%. Antonio, Carmelo, Luciano, Rocco, Salvatore.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
