Alighieri

Alighieri is an Italian surname associated most notably with the Florentine family from which the poet Dante Alighieri descended. The name is believed to be derived from the medieval given name Alighiero, a form once used in the Florence region during the 13th century. Members of the Alighieri family were active in public and civic life in late medieval Florence, and the surname has remained a recognizable part of Italian genealogical and literary history.

The most famous bearer of the name is Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), commonly known simply as Dante. He is one of the principal authors in Western literature, best known for the Divine Comedy, an epic poem written in the Italian vernacular that chronicles the poet’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante’s work is credited with shaping the Italian language and significantly influencing literature, theology, and philosophy.

Today, Alighieri remains a functioning Italian surname and appears among descendants and communities both in Italy and abroad. Outside of historical and literary contexts, the name is primarily encountered as a family name rather than a given name. In scholarly and cultural references, the surname is most closely associated with Dante and his enduring literary legacy.