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{{for|the village in Switzerland|Russo, Switzerland}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2016}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2016}}
[[File:C rossi2.jpg|thumb|A depiction of the historic Russo coat of arms (circa 1132), as described in the Sperlinga Castle records.<ref name=":0"/>]]
'''Russo''' is a Sicilian name from the Viking word Rus (pronounced roos) meaning He Rows or The Men Who Row. Russo being the Latinization of the name Rus. The Byzantines and the Arabs both present in Sicily from 800-1100 AD referred to all Norsemen or Normans as Rus.
[[File:Bayeux Tapestry 32-33 comet Halley Harold.jpg|thumb|Bayeux Tapestry, scene 32: Halley's Comet]]
'''Russo''' is a common Sicilian surname, historically denoting nobility.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/bibliotecacentrale/mango/romagnolo.htm
| title = Nobiliario di Sicilia
| website = www.regione.sicilia.it
| access-date = 2016-03-01
}}</ref> The first recorded entry of the name Russo was discovered in the documents of Sperlinga Castle in Enna, Sicily, dated 1132.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.castellodisperlinga.it/subpagina.php?idmenu=1&&idsubmenu=1
| title = Castello di Sperlinga - Storia Castello di Sperlinga - Dominazione Normanna
| website = www.castellodisperlinga.it
| access-date = 2016-03-01
}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal
| title = Rosso Famiglia
| url = https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosso_%28famiglia%29
| journal = Wikipedia
| language = it
}}</ref> Under the Norman rule of Sicily, King Roger II had granted the land title of Sperlinga Castle to one of his descendants, Riccardo, whom the King had made a baron.<ref name=":1" /> Riccardo then presumably took the surname Russo Rosso and bestowed to the castle a coat of arms featuring a comet against a red backdrop.<ref name=":0" /> Prior to the Norman invasion of England, there was no recognizable system for hereditary coats of arms, but it was following that conquest that the Middle Ages saw the dawn of heraldry.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = Heraldry
| url = https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heraldry&oldid=707751097
| journal = Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| language = en
}}</ref> The features of the banner are significant in that they provide an explanation and give historical context to the devising of the title, Russo Rosso: red is an archetypal color symbolizing The Warrior, or in general, War, and the image of [[Halley’s comet]] has been characterized as an icon for the Viking Invaders, e.g. in the [[Bayeux Tapestry]], denoting a [[Comet#Early observations and thought|portent of doom]] for the opposing forces.


The Normans, or Norsemen, who ruled Sicily were descendants of the [[Hauteville family|House Hauteville]] (in Sicilian, d’Altavilla), and were thus direct descendants of the Viking conquerors who had landed on the island two centuries prior, during the [[History of Sicily|Arab-Byzantine era of Sicily]]. Both the Arabs and the Byzantines at that time referred to the Viking Norsemen as [[Rus' people|Rus’]], meaning, “the men who row,”
To this day Sicilians will still sometimes affectionately refer to a man named Russo, without ever understanding the origin of the antiquated vestige, as “Signor Rus”. The name Russo became synonymous with Russia since the Vikings known as Kievian Rus sailing into the Mediterranean from the Northern rivers were themselves the founding lords of the original settlement that we now call Russia.
and as the term proliferated through the centuries, the etymology likely evolved from Rus’ to a Latinized form, ''Russo''. It is perhaps owing to the original tandem identity of  “Russo Rosso” that the same heraldry is cross-referenced for both the families Rosso and Russo Camoli,<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.heraldrysinstitute.com/cognomi/Rosso/Italia/idc/6856/lang/it/
| title = Famiglia Rosso - Origine cognome Rosso - Scheda Araldica, stemma e storia della famiglia Rosso
| website = www.heraldrysinstitute.com
| access-date = 2016-03-01
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.heraldrysinstitute.com/cognomi/Russo+Camoli/Italia/idc/10497/lang/en/
| title = Russo Camoli family - Russo Camoli last name origin - Heraldry and family Russo Camoli history with coat of arms
| website = www.heraldrysinstitute.com
| access-date = 2016-03-01
}}</ref> and it is likely resulting from this coupling that both Russo and Rosso carry connotations of the word, “red.” It is useful to note that while Rosso does indeed directly translate from the Italian as, “red,” the word Rus’ does not.


The origins of Russo and all of its cultural variants, such as the Greek, Rhoussos (from Rhos<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal
The first person to take the name Russo and hold title to Sperlinga , please see sperlinga castle and given lands and title for his defense of the castle was one Riccardo Russo Rosso in 1132. He was one of the sons of William of Hautville , see Hautville Family (D’Hautville in French, Altavilla in Italian and in Sicilian d’Autavilla) his father, William was the son of Goffreddo of Hautville.
| title = Rus' people

| url = https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rus%27_people&oldid=703942880
Riccardo or in Sicilian Ricciardo, took both of these two names, Russo Rosso and it is here where the names Russo and Rosso converged and why both names share the same coat of arms. This may have led to the confusion as to the meanings of Russo as opposed to Rosso The same shield of the family Russo is also seen in other Sicilian names as for example Russo Camoli.
| journal = Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

| language = en
In mainland Italy such names as Red, Brown, Blond and others like DeSanctis, DeAngelis, & al. were euphemisms for bastard children left at convents. Names mentioning hair colors were given to the children by the nuns to describe a parent if known or seen. Although any Rosso can therefore be from any part of Italy, the name Russo stems strictly from the aforementioned Sicilian and/or Viking roots and it’s later migration. There seems to be no mention that Riccardo Russo Rosso was a red head and he certainly knew his father, so the red (Rosso) most assuredly refers to the color of the shield given to him, which in that period stood at the very dawn of heraldry and meant a “Warrior” The comet might have something to do with Halley’s Comet which appeared to his relatives who invaded Britain in 1066AD and is seen on the Bayeux Tapestry.
}}</ref>), the French Rousseau,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Varègues|url=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Var%C3%A8gue|journal=Wikipédia|language=fr}}</ref> or the English, [[Russell (surname)|Russell]] (from Anglo-Norman)
The Comet was thought of as an omen of good luck for the attackers and as a portent of doom for the opposition.
are all explicitly derived from the word Rus’, and yet, unjustifiably, the connotation of the color red remains part of the elementary explanations of their origins (see for example [http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/roux]). An interesting and noteworthy aside, anecdotal evidence contests that in modern day Sicily, it is common practice to refer to someone with the name, Russo, as, "Signor' Rus'," suggesting that therein the title exists a deeper history than a mere storied description of an ancestor's physical attributes.

The D’Hautvilles through Tancred are said to trace their ancestry to the Viking Rollo who to seal the oath of his fealty was given the hand in marriage to Gisele the daughter of King Charles III the grandson of Charlemagne with Rollo also being given title to the lands in France now known as Normandy, meaning the land of the Norsemen.

The Greek name Roussos and the French Rousseau both probably stem from this same family Russo since neither word in either language actually means red. Rus' In Greek Ῥωσία, referring to the Kievan Rus. In Latin Rus(s)ia, Ruscia, Ruzzia, Rut(h)enia,


==Notable people named Russo==
==Notable people named Russo==

* [[Aaron Russo]], libertarian entertainment businessman
* [[Aaron Russo]], libertarian entertainment businessman
* [[Alecu Russo]]
* [[Alecu Russo]]
* [[Alexander Russo (writer)]], education writer
* [[Alexander Russo]]
* [[Alexander Russo (athlete)]], Brazilian track and field sprinter
* [[Ana Bedran-Russo]]
* [[Ana Bedran-Russo]]
* [[Andrew Russo]], American pianist
* [[Andrew Russo]], American pianist
* [[Angelo Russo]] (born 1961), Italian actor
* [[Anthony Russo (disambiguation)|Anthony Russo]], including:
* [[Anthony Russo (disambiguation)|Anthony Russo]], including:
**[[Anthony Russo (American football)]], American football wide receiver
**[[Anthony Russo (American football)]], American football wide receiver
Line 56: Line 82:
* [[Justin Russo]] (born 1976), American musician
* [[Justin Russo]] (born 1976), American musician
* [[Kevin Russo]]
* [[Kevin Russo]]
* [[Lucio F. Russo]], American politician
* [[Lucio Russo]], Italian historian of science
* [[Margaret Russo]] (1931–2006), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
* [[Margaret Russo]] (1931–2006), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
* [[Marisabina Russo]]
* [[Marisabina Russo]]
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* [[Miguel Ángel Russo]]
* [[Miguel Ángel Russo]]
* [[Monette Russo]]
* [[Monette Russo]]
* [[Nicholas Russo]] (1845–1902), Italian-American priest, professor, Boston College president, and church founder
* [[Pat Russo]]
* [[Pat Russo]]
* [[Patricia Russo]]
* [[Patricia Russo]]

Revision as of 14:20, 17 March 2017

File:C rossi2.jpg
A depiction of the historic Russo coat of arms (circa 1132), as described in the Sperlinga Castle records.[1]
Bayeux Tapestry, scene 32: Halley's Comet

Russo is a common Sicilian surname, historically denoting nobility.[2] The first recorded entry of the name Russo was discovered in the documents of Sperlinga Castle in Enna, Sicily, dated 1132.[1][3] Under the Norman rule of Sicily, King Roger II had granted the land title of Sperlinga Castle to one of his descendants, Riccardo, whom the King had made a baron.[3] Riccardo then presumably took the surname Russo Rosso and bestowed to the castle a coat of arms featuring a comet against a red backdrop.[1] Prior to the Norman invasion of England, there was no recognizable system for hereditary coats of arms, but it was following that conquest that the Middle Ages saw the dawn of heraldry.[4] The features of the banner are significant in that they provide an explanation and give historical context to the devising of the title, Russo Rosso: red is an archetypal color symbolizing The Warrior, or in general, War, and the image of Halley’s comet has been characterized as an icon for the Viking Invaders, e.g. in the Bayeux Tapestry, denoting a portent of doom for the opposing forces.

The Normans, or Norsemen, who ruled Sicily were descendants of the House Hauteville (in Sicilian, d’Altavilla), and were thus direct descendants of the Viking conquerors who had landed on the island two centuries prior, during the Arab-Byzantine era of Sicily. Both the Arabs and the Byzantines at that time referred to the Viking Norsemen as Rus’, meaning, “the men who row,” and as the term proliferated through the centuries, the etymology likely evolved from Rus’ to a Latinized form, Russo. It is perhaps owing to the original tandem identity of  “Russo Rosso” that the same heraldry is cross-referenced for both the families Rosso and Russo Camoli,[5][6] and it is likely resulting from this coupling that both Russo and Rosso carry connotations of the word, “red.” It is useful to note that while Rosso does indeed directly translate from the Italian as, “red,” the word Rus’ does not.

The origins of Russo and all of its cultural variants, such as the Greek, Rhoussos (from Rhos[7]), the French Rousseau,[8] or the English, Russell (from Anglo-Norman) are all explicitly derived from the word Rus’, and yet, unjustifiably, the connotation of the color red remains part of the elementary explanations of their origins (see for example [1]). An interesting and noteworthy aside, anecdotal evidence contests that in modern day Sicily, it is common practice to refer to someone with the name, Russo, as, "Signor' Rus'," suggesting that therein the title exists a deeper history than a mere storied description of an ancestor's physical attributes.

Notable people named Russo

Fictional characters

Peter Russo- House of Cards

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Castello di Sperlinga - Storia Castello di Sperlinga - Dominazione Normanna". www.castellodisperlinga.it. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  2. ^ "Nobiliario di Sicilia". www.regione.sicilia.it. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  3. ^ a b "Rosso Famiglia". Wikipedia (in Italian).
  4. ^ "Heraldry". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  5. ^ "Famiglia Rosso - Origine cognome Rosso - Scheda Araldica, stemma e storia della famiglia Rosso". www.heraldrysinstitute.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  6. ^ "Russo Camoli family - Russo Camoli last name origin - Heraldry and family Russo Camoli history with coat of arms". www.heraldrysinstitute.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  7. ^ "Rus' people". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  8. ^ "Varègues". Wikipédia (in French).
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