Aquino is an Italian surname of topographic origin, denoting a family from Aquino — a town in the Lazio region, now in the province of Frosinone. The place name Aquino derives from the Latin aqua (water), referencing the streams and springs of the area. Aquino's historical fame rests above all on being the birthplace of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican friar and philosopher who became the most influential theologian in Western Christian history. The Aquino name is found across Lazio, Campania, and Sicily.
LazioCampaniaSicily
History and Origins
The town of Aquino in Lazio was an important settlement in the Volscian and then Roman world — it appears in accounts of the Samnite Wars and was a Roman municipium by the time of the Republic. The family of Thomas Aquinas — the d'Aquino — were the feudal lords of the town and surrounding territory in the medieval period, members of the Lombard nobility who had established themselves in Southern Italy during the early medieval migrations. Their castle, Roccasecca, stands a few kilometres from Aquino and is Thomas's birthplace.
The Aquino Noble Family
The d'Aquino family were one of the great noble houses of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily through the medieval and early modern periods. As counts of Aquino and holders of extensive southern Italian territories, they were significant actors in the complex feudal politics of medieval Italy. Thomas Aquinas — born around 1225 as the youngest son of Count Landulph of Aquino — was destined for a distinguished secular career before his decision to join the Dominican Order against his family's wishes. His intellectual legacy transformed Western theology, philosophy, and education.
The Modern Surname
The modern surname Aquino spread from its topographic origin as families from Aquino and the surrounding region took the town name as a hereditary identifier. The surname is found in greatest concentration in Lazio and Campania, with secondary presences in Sicily and Calabria, reflecting the patterns of internal migration within Southern Italy through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The Italian Diaspora
Aquino families emigrated to the United States, Brazil, and Argentina through the Italian diaspora of 1880–1930. In the Philippines, the Aquino name (introduced through Spanish colonial rule and the Catholic church's influence on naming) became associated with one of the country's most prominent political families.
Corazon Aquino (1933–2009) — the first female President of the Philippines — bore a name whose Italian and Spanish origins reflect the deep connections between Catholic naming traditions and the Spanish colonial world. In the United States, Aquino families from Lazio and Campania settled primarily in New York and New Jersey.
How to Research Aquino Ancestry
Aquino research should focus on the province of Frosinone in Lazio, with secondary searches in Campania. Italian civil records begin in 1866. The diocesan archives of Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo hold parish records for the historic Aquino area. For earlier research on the noble d'Aquino family, the State Archives of Naples hold extensive feudal records. The birthplace of Saint Thomas Aquinas at Roccasecca has a local heritage centre. For American emigrants, New York and New Jersey immigration records from Ellis Island are the primary starting points.
Notable Aquino Families
- Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) — Dominican friar, philosopher, and theologian. The most influential philosopher-theologian in Western Christianity. Doctor of the Church. Born at Roccasecca near Aquino in Lazio.
- Corazon Aquino (1933–2009) — First female President of the Philippines (1986–1992). Her surname — shared through Spanish colonial Catholic tradition — ultimately traces to the Italian town of Aquino.
- Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr. (1932–1983) — Filipino senator and opposition leader, assassinated at Manila airport in 1983. His death catalysed the People Power Revolution that brought his wife Corazon to the presidency.
- Anthony Aquino — Contemporary American artist of Italian-American descent, known for figurative painting and murals celebrating Italian-American heritage communities.
Related Italian Surnames
Often found in the same regions and emigration records: