Podesta (surname)
Surname list / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the past, the Podesta was a high official in Italian republics of the medieval or early modern period. (Currently, Podestà is still the title of some Italian magistrates,[1] and of mayors in Italian-speaking municipalities of Graubünden in Switzerland.)
By extension, the word has been used in English to designate a particularly powerful government official or potentate.[2]
The Italian title gave rise to a surname, which then gave rise to a company name.