Etymology and Origin
Di Antonio is an Italian surname meaning "of Antonio" or "son of Antonio." It is a variant of D'Antonio, from which it differs only by the inclusion of a space between the particle di and the name Antonio. The root is the given name Antonio, the Italian and Spanish form of the Latin name Antonius (see Anthony), an ancient Roman family name of uncertain Etruscan origin. The particle di ("of") is a common feature of Italian patronymic and toponymic surnames, indicating descent or origin.
Historical Distribution and Cultural Context
The name Antonio has been popular in Italy since the 14th century, especially due to the veneration of Saint Anthony of Padua, a 13th-century Portuguese Franciscan who spent much of his life in Italy. As a result, surnames derived from Antonio—such as D'Antonio, Di Antonio, and Antonelli—have been common throughout the Italian peninsula. Wikipedia lists a number of early Renaissance individuals who used "di Antonio" as a patronymic, including the painter Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio (c. 1430–1479), known as Antonello da Messina, a pivotal figure in early Renaissance art who introduced oil painting techniques to Italy. Other notable bearers include Francesco di Antonio del Chierico (1433–1484), a Florentine manuscript illuminator, and Vincenzo di Antonio Frediani (fl. 1481–1504), a painter. It is worth noting that these individuals used di Antonio as a middle name component (a patronymic), not as a family surname; the modern fixed surname form emerged later.
Related Names and Variants
Beyond D'Antonio, the short form Antonelli is another Italian diminutive surname derived from Antonio (meaning "little Antonio"). Cognate surnames in other languages include the Russian patronymics Antonov (masculine) and Antonova (feminine), as well as the Bulgarian Antov / Antova and the Macedonian Andonov / Andonova, meaning "son/daughter of Antony." The similar forms Dantonio (agglutinated) and de Antonio also exist, and Emile de Antonio (1919–1989), an American documentary filmmaker of Italian descent, provides a modern reference.
Roots
Other Languages & Cultures
Sources: Wikipedia — Di Antonio