Family name origins & meanings
- Italian : from a female personal name, a Marian name (Maria l’Annunziata) referring to the Annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of her impending motherhood (Luke 1:20–38). The festival of the Annunciation has been celebrated since the 5th century. It was at first kept on Ember Wednesday during Lent, but was later moved to 25 March, exactly nine months before Christmas Day, replacing pagan festivals celebrating the vernal equinox.