Last name for an Italian New York boxing champion in a story?

[lealee12]

I’m writing a story. I have a list. I prefer a last name with an O so it would stand out. His name would be Joe. He’s a Sicilian Italian-American. Now here’s the list. Help me pick from these names?

Joe Pagano

Joe Capuano

Joe Toscano

Joe Cappello

Joe Catalano

Joe Graziano

Joe Mancuso

Joe Guarino

Joe Cavallo

Joe Martino

Joe Bianchi

Lo Bianco.

Bianchi or Mancuso

Assuming you've checked these are Sicilian names, Cavallo or Mancuso

Joe Capuano rolls of the tongue nicely

Or

Joe Cavallo

Capaldi is a sicilian name I was told by an old friend who used a different name.

Domenico sounds good, Domenico Capaldi

Would Toscano be Sicilian??

I like Randazzo for a boxing champ, he sounds like a contender!
But from your list I'd use Cappello.

Romano? Means “of Rome” but is what the Roman colonists in Sicily dating from 250 BC. were called and then became a surname. So, I think that 2,272 yrs of family ancestry in Sicily plus ancient origins in Rome Italy counts as Sicilian-Italian…

I've had a look at a list of Sicilian surnames now and Mancuso means left-handed. Is your character a southpaw?

I had an uncle with the surname pagano
He was an Italian American navy captain, and the most laid back cool guy there ever was

Gio (Giovani) Difrancesco

Corleone

Paul Gambaccini

Sorry, I meant Joe Gambaccini

I like Capello or Cavallo best

Di Salvo or Vitale

But by that theory every male in his family would have to be left handed!

Mancuso is my pick.

Lo Giudice (giudice means judge... I grew up near a family of Lo Giudice and I thought their family name was beautiful, powerful). They were a Southern Italian family... from Ischia, I believe.

Should have added.. Either Lo Giudice or Fogarino (as in Sam Fogarino, the most epic drummer ever!).

Monello, means 'rascal' ( he could be known as 'The Rascal'!) and it's a real surname in Sicily.

Shapiro
I actually knew a New York Tony Shapiro. He got a lot of ragging.

Just to say, despite its Italian sound, Shapiro is actually not an Italian name.
It is an Ashkenazi German-Jewish name originating from the town of Speyer in Germany.

Hence the ragging- Tony is very Italian and Shapiro very Jewish 😉
But strangely enough there seem to be a lot of Tony Shapiro’s 🤷🏻‍♀️
Maybe there was a overzealous officer at Ellis Island (they would often give people easier names) or a wonderful crossing cultures midwife called Antonia.
There’s a sub plot for you OP!

Not Toscano for a Sicilian.

Here's a website with Sicilian surnames arranged by the part of Sicily they're from: theprouditalian.com/discovering-sicilian-last-names/

Although I would avoid Di Maggio :)