Cognome

Paternò

The strongest concentration of Paternò in US arrival records points to Sicilia, with 2 of 2 arrivals (100 percent) originating there.

2

US arrivals
1830 to 1912

1

Comuni of
origin

1

Regioni
represented

26

Notable on
Wikipedia

Arrivals by regioneN = 2
Sicilia: 2 arrivals

Top regione

Sicilia

2 of 2
100 percent of arrivals

Arrivals
0
1
2
3 to 5
6+

Cittadinanza per discendenza

Could your Paternò line qualify for Italian citizenship?

The largest share of Paternò arrivals came from Sicilia, most often from the provincia of Palermo. 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 Paternò from Sicilia

Most often from Palermo (PA)

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.

Persone notevoli

Notable Paternò on Wikipedia

  • Giovanni Paternò

    ENIT

    1450 · Catania

  • Agatino Paternò Castello

    IT

    1594 · Catania

  • Ignazio Paternò Castello

    ENIT

    1719 · Catania

  • Giovanni Battista Asmundo Paternò

    1720 · Palermo

  • Giuseppe Alvaro Paternò

    1784 · Catania

  • Francesco Paternò Castello

    IT

    1786 · Catania

  • Vincenzo Tedeschi Paternò Castello

    1786 · Catania

  • Giuseppe Paternò

    IT

    1794 · Palermo

  • Benedetto Orazio Paternò Castello

    IT

    1810 · Catania

  • Antonino Paternò Castello del Toscano

    IT

    1827 · Catania

  • Francesco Imbert Paternò Gioeni

    IT

    1827 · Napoli

  • Enrico Paternò Castello di Carcaci

    IT

    1840 · Firenze

  • Emanuele Paternò

    ENIT

    1847 · Palermo

  • Giovambattista Paternò del Toscano

    IT

    1847 · Catania

  • Maria Ricci Paternò Castello

    1847 · Catania

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

Paterno

86 US arrivals

Paterna

50 US arrivals

Paterni

8 US arrivals

Paternio

1 US arrivals

Paterniti

17 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 Paternò.

Origini per comune

Arrival records by comune

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