# Surname Etymology: Italian / Greek / Arabic?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surname-etymology-italian-greek-arabic/459198>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 7, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surname-etymology-italian-greek-arabic/459198 "2008-08-07T18:30:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surname-etymology-italian-greek-arabic/459198/1 "2008-08-07T18:30:40Z")

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I’m trying to find the meaning of an Italian surname, **Mùstaca**. It’s only found in Calabria, in villages that were Greek-speaking until about 200 years ago and where there seems to be a large Arabic stratum. I suppose French and Albanian are outside possibilities, too, based on the history. This particular one looks Arabic to me, but I know nothing about the language to confirm or deny. It’s definitely correct, not a corruption of _Mustafa_. A historic spelling from the 1600s is _Mustaga_.

Gerhard Rohlfs lists is separately from _Mustacà_ (from the town of Reggio di Calabria), which he derives from Greek \*Moustakàs \* “bearded,” but could it be the same name?

Thanks for any help you can give!

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**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surname-etymology-italian-greek-arabic/459198/2 "2008-08-08T17:21:25Z")

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One bump, and then this thread will sink into the depths of obscurity.