Massaro

Massaro is an Italian surname that first appeared in the Middle Ages as an occupational name. It derives from the Italian word massaro, meaning “tiller” or “farm manager,” itself stemming from the late Latin massa, “block” or “mound,” and the agent suffix -ario. The name was originally given to people who supervised plantations or vineyards, particularly in the inland regions of Tuscany and Umbria, before gradually spreading throughout Italy and to other parts of Europe and the Americas through migration.

The surname is most common in Italy, where it is concentrated in central and southern provinces such as Siena, Perugia, and Cosenza. Italian emigrants carried the name to the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Canada during the 19th and 20th centuries. In the United States, the name is often recorded as “Massaro” though older immigration documents sometimes show the variant “Massari.” In Argentina, the name is associated with families that settled in Buenos Aires and the northwestern provinces in the late 1800s.

Notable individuals who share the Massaro surname include the American mathematician David Massaro, whose work in differential geometry has been cited in several academic journals; the Italian film director Antonio Massaro, best known for his 1981 documentary “Le Strade di Roma”; and Shari Massaro, a Canadian researcher recognized for her studies of cultural heritage preservation. In sports, several former professional cyclists from Italy and Argentina bear the name, having competed in national tours during the 1970s and 1980s.

Massaro also appears as a place name in the Romance world: Massaro di Carre, a small frazione in the Emilia‑Romagna region of Italy, as well as a lunar crater named Massaro, mapped by the Apollo 15 crew and named after the American astronomer Joseph Massaro for his contributions to meteoritics. The surname continues to be used both as a family name and as a placename identifier, reflecting its occupational origin and geographic spread.