Frequency: (457)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Italian, Spanish (Pacífico), and Portuguese: from the medieval personal name or nickname Pacifico, meaning ‘peaceful’, ‘peace-loving’ (Latin pacificus).
2. Jewish (from Italy): adoption of the Italian surname as an approximate translation of the Hebrew name Shelomo (see Solomon).
GIVEN NAMES: Italian 21%. Dante (3), Vito (3), Alessandro (2), Angelo (2), Antonio (2), Bartolomeo (2), Luciano (2), Luigi (2), Sal (2), Vincenzo (2), Arduino, Biagio.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
Dictionary of American Family Names. Copyright © 2006 Patrick Hanks. All rights reserved.
