Lupo is one of Italy's classic animal surnames — a name derived from the Latin lupus (wolf) that was given as a nickname in medieval times to someone fierce, brave, or cunning. In medieval Italy, wolves were part of both the physical landscape and the symbolic vocabulary of power: the wolf nursing Romulus and Remus was Rome's founding symbol, and the word carried connotations of warrior strength.
Lupo families are found across southern Italy but are concentrated in Sicily, Calabria, and Campania. The name appears in Italian records from the 12th century onward. In the United States, Lupo families settled primarily in New York, New Orleans (where Sicilian communities were large), and Chicago. The name is sometimes anglicised as Wolf or Wolfe in American documents.
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