De Nisco

Recorded as De Nisco, Di Nisco, and Nisco, this is a surname of Italian origins. Curiously for Italy, a region of Europe where 'adminstration' has been seriously lacking since the fall of the Roman Empire fifteen hundred years ago, this surname is well recorded, although mainly in the province of Benevento and specifically the town of Sant Angelo. There are also a few early recordings from Foggia and similarly from Avellino. The surname would certainly appear to be locational, and from some place called Nisco or similar. This may have been a form of Nice, the French city, but one formerly part of Italy until after Napoleonic times. In the nearby northern provinces of Piedmont and Liggurian the place name ending of '-co' is popular. Italian surnames are traditionally the most difficult to research in all of Europe. Because not only are records erratic with Italy itself only becoming a unified state in 1860, but because most surnames themselves whilst hereditary since at least medival times, have not, like almost every other country retained a 'locked' spelling. However in this case we do have recordings back to the 17th century. Examples include Antonio de Nisco, whose son Matteo was baptised at Terranova, Benevento, in 1636, and Matteo himself who married Laura Zuzolo at Sant Angelo, Benevento, on June 21st 1657.