Vespucci
/vɛsˈputʃi/noun
An Italian surname, most famously associated with the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Did you know?Vespucci is an Italian family name, and the famous continental name America was formed from Amerigo Vespucci’s first name, not his surname.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
Latin
Vespuccius
“Latinized family name used in documents”
14th-15th Century
Italian
Vespucci
“Italian surname, likely from a personal or family name of uncertain deeper origin”
15th Century
Italian
Amerigo Vespucci
“Florentine merchant and navigator”
1507
Latin
America
“Name proposed for the newly recognized continent, derived from Amerigo's first name”
Modern English
English
Vespucci
“The surname of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci”