Maiorana
Maiorana is an English and Italian surname.[1] It may derive from the office of mayor, the location Maiorano di Monte or from the herb marjoram. The surname appears to be broadly, though sparsely, distributed throughout Italy.[1]
Origins and variants
Maiorana derives from the Old English maire (originally maior), meaning "mayor", or an officer in charge of legal matters.[2]
One theory suggests that the surname is Sicilian in origin and related to locations where maiorana, Medieval Latin for marjoram, was found.[3]
Another theory suggests this is a variant of "Maiorano", which is a surname likely related to the Italian frazione Maiorano di Monte.[4] However, another source suggests the surnames are not related, and that "Maiorano" is related to the word "majorano", a dialectic term for a type oregano.[5] This source also relates "Maiorana" to "Majorana", where "Maiorana" is the far more common variant and made its first recorded appearance in the 13th Century.[5]
People
Notable people with the surname include:
- Daniel Maiorana (b. 1977), criminal gang leader
- Jules Maiorana (b. 1969), English footballer
Related surnames
- Maiorano
- Majorana
References
- ^ a b "Maiorana", Sardinian Surnames, retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "Surnames: Maire". houseofnames.com.
- ^ Hines, Patrick (2013). Maiorana. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 10 February 2016 – via Ancestry.com.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Hanks, Patrick (2006) [2003]. Maiorano. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195188417.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Italian Surnames - Cognomi Italiani - M". Ganino (in Italian). 5 March 2014. MAIORANA/MAJORANA, MAIORANO/MAJORANO. Retrieved 2016-02-15.[unreliable source?]
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.