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Terranova Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Terranova last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Terranova coat of arms for you.

Meaning and origin of the Terranova last name

Meaning of the Terranova last name: new land. Terranova is an Italian surname meaning "new land", from towns called Terranova in Sicily and Calabria, often founded in the Middle Ages. The last name is most common in Sicily and the south. Curiously, the Sicilian city of Gela was called Terranova for centuries before taking back its Greek name in 1927.

Arms associated with the Terranova name

In Italy townspeople used a coat of arms as well as knights, and heraldry associated with the Terranova name shares that civic tradition.

Get your full Terranova family history

This is only a glimpse of the Terranova story. The full Terranova history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Terranova coat of arms. Get the full Terranova report.

Terranova name FAQ

What does the Terranova name mean?

New land. Common variants include Terranuova.

Where does the Terranova surname come from?

It originates in Italy, and is also found in the United States, Argentina and Venezuela.

Is there a Terranova coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Terranova coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: De Felice, Dizionario dei cognomi italiani; Caffarelli & Marcato, I cognomi d'Italia.