attingi

Attingi is a family name originating in Italy. According to onomastic studies the name is derived from the Latin toponym Attinum, a Roman estate located in the region of Umbria. The suffix –gi is typical of surnames that developed from a place–name in central Italy, and it indicates “belonging to, from.” As a result, the name Attingi is most frequently encountered in the provinces of Perugia and Terni, but it can also be found in other parts of the country, particularly in the Lombardy and Marche regions, where waves of internal migration took place during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The name first appeared in historical documents in the 13th century, where a reference to “Giovanni da Attiningi” is recorded in a Notary’s register of Siena. In the 16th and 17th centuries the name attached itself to a number of landowners in the Umbria–Marche inter‑region, as well as to a few scholars in Florence and Naples. The most prominent contemporary bearer of the surname is the epidemiologist Dr. Maria Attingi, who has published extensively on tropical diseases in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Another noteworthy figure is the painter Luigi Attingi, whose work is represented in the Galleria Nazionale in Rome.

In addition to its genealogical significance, Attingi has occasionally been used to denote a small settlement in the hills of the province of Terni. The hamlet, which was once a minor agricultural community, is now a minor tourist destination, especially popular among walkers on the Calore Irpino valley. The hamlet’s modern population is about 200 inhabitants. Although the population of the hamlet is small, the name persists in local place‑names and in the surnames of many residents who trace their ancestry back to the medieval settlement.