The Segale Family and the Mario Brothers: A Coincidental Connection?

The Discovery

Elisabeth Zetland, a senior researcher with MyHeritage, has uncovered a genealogical detail that adds a new layer to the origin story of two of the world's most famous video game characters. Her research revealed that Mario Arnold Segale—the businessman who inspired the name of Nintendo's "Super Mario"—had a father named Luigi Maria Segale.

The Known Inspiration

The story of how Mario got his name is well-documented in gaming lore. In the early 1980s, Mario Segale was the landlord for Nintendo of America's warehouse in Tukwila, Washington. According to author David Sheff, during a tense meeting about overdue rent, Nintendo staff decided to name their new character, then called "Jumpman," after their assertive landlord.

According to author David Sheff, Nintendo staff named the character after Mario Segale when he visited their office about overdue rent.

The inspiration for Mario's brother, Luigi, has been more ambiguous. Previous theories suggested the name was chosen because it rhymed with the Japanese word for "similar" or was taken from a local pizza parlor near Nintendo's office.

A Family of Namesakes?

Luigi Maria Segale was born in Italy in 1886, immigrated to the United States in 1909, served in the U.S. military during World War I, and later worked as an independent farmer in Washington state. Census records from 1940 show he and his wife, Rina, had a six-year-old son named Mario.

Despite the striking parallel of a father-son pair named Luigi and Mario inspiring the famous brother duo, researcher Elisabeth Zetland believes the connection is likely unintentional.

Elisabeth Zetland stated the connection between the father's name and the video game character appears to be "just a coincidence."

Nintendo has not commented on whether it was aware of the name Luigi Segale during the character's creation.

The Man Behind the Name

Mario Segale himself was famously low-key about his pop-culture legacy. In a 1993 interview with the Seattle Times, he quipped about the character bearing his name: "You might say I'm still waiting for my royalty checks." His 2018 obituary noted that he was a successful real estate developer and businessman who "always ducked the notoriety" of being linked to the iconic plumber.