Surname Quaranta and variants

The most accepted theory is that the surname spread following the cult of the Forty Martyrs of Salerno, a medieval historical event. In Salerno in the 11th century, 40 pilgrims returning from the Holy Land under the leadership of a Norman managed to drive the Saracens away. Initially the leader was called "Dei Quaranta", a nickname that later spread to his descendants, also in the variants of Quarantelli and Quarantini. The Quaranta family is listed among the Neapolitan noble families.