All the official records from San Vito have the name spelled Lucenó with the accent over the o. Most of our ancestors were probably illiterate farmers, so the town clerk likely wrote down what he heard. So the name was probably pronounced loo-chen-NO or loo-chay-NO, with the emphasis on the last syllable.
By contrast, American Lucenos tend to pronounce the name loo-SEE-no, dropping both the accent and the traditional Italian pronunciation of the c. I am not aware of exactly when this change in pronunciation took place, nor with whom.
I have adopted the convention throughout this site of referring to American Lucenos without the accent and Italian Lucenós with the accent.
That is uncertain.
The Latinized form of Lucenó would be Lucenus. There is historical evidence of a Claudius Lucenus Saiclarus, a spondephorus (probably someone who oversees libations to the gods).
It’s possible the name refers to Lucanians, ancient Italic speakers who settled southern Italy.
It’s also possible it refers to Lucena, a city and river in Cordoba, Spain.
Perhaps the root of the name is “lux,” Latin for “light”.
Insight into the origins of the family will probably grant insight into the precise meaning and origin of the name.