Loredan (Venetian: [loɾeˈdaŋ]) is a Venetian surname. The House of Loredan is an aristocratic Venetian family that included various doges of the Republic of Venice, and the surname is almost exclusively associated with the family. The surname most likely originated from the toponym Loreo (a town in the Veneto), which itself originated from its Latin name Lauretum, meaning laurel. Another theory of the origin of the surname, though most likely legendary, is that it comes from the Latin epithet Laureati, given to ancestors of the Loredan family due to their historical glory in ancient Rome and the many victories they achieved in battles. The surname is spelled Loredano (IPA: [loreˈdaːno]) or Loredan in Italian, Lauredano or Lauredanus in Latin, and Lorentano (Λορεντάνο) in Greek, though it is also historically found as Lordas (Λορδᾶς) and Lordano (Λορδάνο). The feminine name Loredana, common in Italy and Romania, was likely inspired by the surname.

Notable people with the surname include:

Places

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Bust of Andrea Loredan, by Antonio Rizzo, 15th century, Museo Correr, Venice

Panegyricus Leonardo Lauredano, by Sigismundus Burgus, 1503, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan, by Giovanni Bellini, 1501, National Gallery, London

Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan, by Vittore Carpaccio, 1501, Museo Correr, Venice

Portrait of Doge Pietro Loredan, by Jacopo Tintoretto, 1567, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

Portrait of the Loredan family, by Giovanni Bellini, 1507, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Other

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MV Loredan, auxiliary cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy