Buono is an Italian surname derived from the adjective buono (good), from the Latin bonus. Character and virtue nicknames — applied to individuals of notably good character, generous disposition, or high moral standing in the community — were one of the most productive sources of Italian surnames. Buono is most densely concentrated in Southern Italy, particularly in Campania and Sicily, where it was applied as a positive character description that became a hereditary family name. The name is direct, affirmative, and thoroughly embedded in the Italian southern naming tradition, carrying its simple meaning — good — across generations and continents.
CampaniaSicilySouthern Italy
History and Origins
Character and virtue surnames are among the oldest strata of Italian family naming. Before hereditary surnames were formalised, individuals in Italian communities were identified by nicknames describing their character, occupation, or physical appearance. The adjective buono (good) — applied as a nickname to a person of notably good character, generous conduct, or moral distinction — was one of the most widespread of these character designations. The Latin bonus had entered Italian as buono by the early medieval period, and its use as a surname indicator is documented in Italian records from at least the thirteenth century. The related surnames Buona, Buoni, and Buonarroti (as in Michelangelo Buonarroti) all share the same root.
The Campanian Heartland
Buono is most densely concentrated in Campania — particularly in the provinces of Salerno, Naples, and Caserta — and in Sicily. The Kingdom of Naples, which governed Campania from the thirteenth century to Italian unification in 1861, produced extensive documentation in which Buono families appear as artisans, farmers, minor clergy, and tradespeople. The character-nickname tradition was particularly strong in Southern Italy, where the descriptive buono was applied across the social spectrum — to the landowner of good reputation, to the craftsman known for honest work, and to the farmer respected by his community.
The Sicilian Branch
A significant branch of the Buono surname is found in Sicily, particularly in the provinces of Palermo and Agrigento. The Sicilian Buonos developed independently from the Campanian branch, reflecting the independent emergence of character-derived nicknames as surnames across Southern Italy. Sicilian Buono families emigrated in large numbers to the United States during the great diaspora of 1880–1930, settling in the Italian-American communities of New York and New Jersey alongside Campanian emigrants.
Buonarroti and the Extended Family
The Buono surname belongs to a wider family of Italian surnames rooted in the Latin bonus. The most celebrated of these is Buonarroti — the surname of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), the painter, sculptor, architect, and poet universally recognised as one of the greatest artists in human history. The Buonarroti family claimed descent from the counts of Canossa, and their surname — literally 'good-arrowed' or 'good Arroto' — derives from the same bonus root as Buono. While Buono and Buonarroti are distinct surnames with different histories, they share an etymological common ancestor in the Latin bonus.
The Italian Diaspora
Buono families emigrated to the United States, Argentina, and Brazil through the Italian diaspora of 1880–1930. In the United States, they concentrated in New York City and New Jersey — the primary destinations of the Campanian and Sicilian emigrant wave. The name is well-represented in Italian-American Catholic parishes throughout the northeast United States, where Campanian and Sicilian emigrants established the dense Italian-American communities of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and New Jersey's cities.
In South America, Buono families settled in Argentina (Buenos Aires and the agricultural provinces) and in Brazil (São Paulo and the southern states). The Argentine Italian community includes Buono families of Campanian and Sicilian origin, and the name appears in immigration records from Buenos Aires from the late nineteenth century. The simple, affirmative meaning of the name — good — made it one of the more memorable Italian surnames in the Americas, resonating across language barriers with its universal positive connotation.
How to Research Buono Ancestry
Buono research should focus on Campania (Salerno, Naples, Caserta provinces) and Sicily (Palermo, Agrigento provinces). Italian civil registration records begin in 1866 for unified Italy and from 1809 for areas under Napoleonic administration (the Kingdom of Naples). The State Archives of Naples and Salerno hold pre-unification records from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. For American emigrants, Ellis Island records (1892 onward) are essential. New York and New Jersey Italian-American Catholic parish records hold large Buono populations. The variant Buono should be distinguished from the related but distinct surnames Buona (feminine form), Buoni (plural), and Buonarroti (a compound form). The Americanised spelling Buono is typically retained in Italian-American records without anglicisation.
Notable Buono Families
- Mike Buono (fl. 1920–1960) — Italian-American community leader in New York. Representative of the large Campanian Buono families who settled in the New York metropolitan area in the early twentieth century.
- Salvatore Buono (fl. 1890–1920) — Representative figure of the Sicilian Buono emigrant community. Arrived through Ellis Island in the 1900s and settled in the Italian-American community of Brooklyn, New York.
- Antonio Buono (fl. 1750–1810) — Neapolitan merchant and civic official, recorded in the notarial archives of Naples in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Representative of the established Campanian Buono family tradition.
- Francesco Buono (fl. 1850–1900) — Salernitan farmer and community figure, recorded in the civil registration records of the province of Salerno in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Representative of the rural Campanian Buono families who formed the backbone of the subsequent emigrant wave.
Related Italian Surnames
Often found in the same regions and emigration records: