Africani is an Italian surname meaning "son of Africano," the Italian form of the Roman cognomen Africanus. This origin ties the surname directly to the ancient world and a famous Roman family. Etymology and Background The root name Africanus derives from Africa, which in Roman times referred specifically to the region of North Africa (roughly modern-day Tunisia and surrounding areas). The most famous bearer was Scipio Africanus (Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus), the Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, ending the Second Punic War. He was granted the agnomen Africanus as a personal honorific for his conquest of Carthage. His descendants subsequently used Africanus as a hereditary cognomen. The Italian given name Africano emerged as a vernacular form of Latin Africanus. The patronymic surname Africani means "son of Africano," following typical Italian naming patterns with the suffix -i indicating descent (e.g., Giovanni → Di Giovanni, Matteo → Mattei). While the root name has ancient Roman origins, the surname itself would have taken shape in later centuries, likely in medieval or Renaissance Italy, when patronymic surnames became fixed. The name Africanus also appears in early Christian history. A key figure is Cornelius (from the Latin Cornelius), a centurion mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 10) as the first Gentile convert to Christianity. Although Cornelius himself does not bear the name Africanus, the Cornelii Scipiones, famous for Scipio Africanus, were a prominent Roman family with ties to North Africa, illustrating the historical depth of these names. Family Signs Meaning: "son of Africano," descendant of the one from Africa Type: patronymic surname Origin: directly from given name Africano Key connection: ultimately derived from the Roman cognomen Africanus, famously held by Scipio Africanus Usage: now used worldwide but of Italian origin