| Meaning | From Troina, an ancient Sicilian town in the Nebrodi Mountains |
| Origin type | Topographic / place-name |
| Popularity | Common in Sicily; significant in Italian-American communities |
| Regions | Sicily (especially Enna, Catania, Palermo provinces); New York, New Jersey |
| Variants | Troina, Traino, Di Traina |
| Notable bearers | Common in Sicilian-American communities |
Traina is a Sicilian surname derived from Troina, one of the island's oldest and most historically significant towns. Situated in the Nebrodi Mountains of the Enna province at an altitude of over 1,000 metres, Troina was already ancient when the Normans made it the first capital of their Sicilian kingdom in the eleventh century. Roger I of Sicily, who conquered the island from the Arabs, established his court at Troina before eventually moving to Palermo.
The name Troina itself is very old — possibly of Byzantine or earlier Greek origin. The medieval form of the surname, de Troina or de Traina, indicated origin from or association with the town, following the standard pattern of Italian place-name surnames. Over time, the preposition dropped and the name shortened to Traina in Sicilian usage.
The surname is found across Sicily but is particularly associated with the eastern and central provinces — Enna, Catania, and Palermo — reflecting the dispersal of families from the Troina area into the broader island over centuries. From there, the great emigration of 1880–1920 carried the Traina name to America, where it appears in the records of New York, New Jersey, and California Sicilian-American communities.
In genealogical research, Traina families can often be traced to specific villages in the Enna or Catania province of Sicily, and sometimes directly to Troina itself — which, despite its small size, has an extraordinary density of historical documentation from the Norman period onward.
A Traina family in America carries a name that links them to one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in Sicily — a Norman capital 1,000 years ago, perched in the mountains that divide the island from north to south. It is a name that places you in the heart of Sicilian history, in a landscape of olive groves, ancient stone, and mountain light.
The Traina surname appears in various forms across Italy and its diaspora:
The Italian Surname Origins tool at Synpro Media covers hundreds of Italian surnames with their Gaelic forms, regional roots, and diaspora history. Free to use.
Search Italian Surname Origins →A daily newsletter delivering the people, places, and flavours of Italy to readers worldwide. For those with Italian heritage — or simply a love of Italy — it is essential reading.
Subscribe Free to Love Italy