Cognome

Merlino

The strongest concentration of Merlino in US arrival records points to Sicilia, with 167 of 293 arrivals (57 percent) originating there.

293

US arrivals
1830 to 1912

89

Comuni of
origin

16

Regioni
represented

9

Notable on
Wikipedia

Arrivals by regioneN = 293
Abruzzo: 24 arrivalsPuglia: 23 arrivalsBasilicata: 16 arrivalsCalabria: 11 arrivalsCampania: 26 arrivalsEmilia-Romagna: 4 arrivalsLazio: 1 arrivalsLiguria: 2 arrivalsLombardia: 2 arrivalsMarche: 1 arrivalsMolise: 5 arrivalsPiemonte: 7 arrivalsSicilia: 167 arrivalsTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol: 1 arrivalsToscana: 1 arrivalsVeneto: 2 arrivals

Top regione

Sicilia

167 of 293
57 percent of arrivals

Arrivals
0
< 5
5 to 17
17 to 50
50+

Cittadinanza per discendenza

Could your Merlino line qualify for Italian citizenship?

The largest share of Merlino arrivals came from Sicilia, most often from the provincia of Messina. If one of them is your ancestor, Italy may recognize you as a citizen under jure sanguinis (citizenship by descent).

The surname alone does not decide it. Each generation between that ancestor and you does: who naturalized, and when. Since the 2025 law, the number of generations matters too.

The checker goes back through your line one generation at a time. It is not legal advice, and it does not search for records.

Check your line
Your lineYou fill this in

Italian-born ancestor

A Merlino from Sicilia

Most often from Messina (ME)

Each generation between

Name and dates

Did this person naturalize before their child was born?

You

A likely outcome

and the documents your line would need

Not ready to start? Get an email when the citizenship rules change.

Distribuzione per regione

Concentration by regione

16 regioni represented

  • Sicilia16757%
  • Campania269%
  • Abruzzo248%
  • Puglia238%
  • Basilicata165%
  • Calabria114%
  • Piemonte72%
  • Molise52%
  • Emilia-Romagna41%
  • Liguria21%
  • Lombardia21%
  • Veneto21%
  • Marche10%
  • Toscana10%
  • Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol10%
  • Lazio10%

Origini per comune

Arrival records by comune

Each row is a comune (municipality) where at least one passenger named Merlino was recorded between 1830 and 1912.

Persone notevoli

Notable Merlino on Wikipedia

  • Francesco Merlino

    ENIT

    1856 · Napoli

  • Giuseppe Merlino

    IT

    1927 · Lipari

  • Stefano Merlino

    1938 · Italia

  • Benito Merlino

    1940 · isola Filicudi

  • Giuseppe Merlino

    IT

    1941 · Napoli

  • Mario Merlino

    1944 · Roma

  • Silvio Merlino

    1952 · Napoli

  • Myrta Merlino

    ENIT

    1968 · Napoli

  • Martina Merlino

    IT

    1989 · Roma

Varianti grafiche

Spelling variants worth checking

  • The spelling you know may not be the one in the records. For example, a family remembers Mansini, but the records read Mancini.
  • If your spelling does not appear, a close variant in the list below may be the same family.

Related guide

Myths About Name Changes at Ellis Island

Names were never changed at the border. The spelling here is the original Italian: Giovinelli in the records, perhaps Jovanelli in the family today.

Read guide

D'merlino

1 US arrivals

Merlini

25 US arrivals

Merlina

4 US arrivals

Merli

42 US arrivals

Merliano

2 US arrivals

Variants are surfaced from the surname index, not from per-name research. None of these is guaranteed to be the same family as Merlino.