Mosco

Recorded as Mosco, Moscon, Moscone, Mosconi, Mosconelli, and probably others, this is an Italian surname. Like most Italian surnames it has some very confused origins. There are many reasons but perhaps the most important it that Italy itself, whilst the font of much of modern civilisation, is quite a recent creation, being politically united between the years 1860 and 1890. Prior to that it was a loose federation of usually twelve independants states, some small, most very poor, and all speaking their own form of Italian. Hence the same surname spelling could be found in different parts, but it could have a completely different origin and meaning. In addition although Italian surnames have been hereditary like most European surnames from about the 13th century, they were not locked in their spelling, each generation adding to or subtracting from the original form at will. This means that some modern surnames only contain one letter of the original form. Not surprsingly this makes for difficult research. This name has we think two origins. The first is from the word 'mosca' meaning an imperial beard, that is a full beard, and was presumably given to an unshaven person, the second is from 'musico' and would have described a composer or curiously a beardless person!