Show ContentsCanela History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Italian name Canela is derived from one of several places named Canale in northern Italy. The place name comes from the Italian word "canale," meaning "canal." Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames, created from place names are also found. These local names, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land, and often bear the prefix "di," meaning "from."

Early Origins of the Canela family

The surname Canela was first found in the area around the city of Ferrara, where Tommaso Canali was a judge in the mid 12th century. One line of the Canela family originated in the Polcevera valley, northwest Italy, and was first mentioned in documents dating from the year 1100. Of this line, Emanuele Canale was a member of the faction that supported Paolo Da Novi in 1506. Otto Canella (d. before 1143) was Consul of Genoa in 1133 and is an ancestor of the House of Grimaldi, the family which to this day, rules Monaco.

Early History of the Canela family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Canela research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1322, 1470, 1505, 1610, 1697, 1725, 1730, 1768 and 1802 are included under the topic Early Canela History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Canela Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Canela. These spelling variations include Canal, Canale, Canali, Da Canale, Da Canàl, Da Canal, Canaletto, Canalini, Canales and many more.

Early Notables of the Canela family

Prominent among members of the family was Guidone Canali, who was the Bishop of Turin in 1322; Carlo Canale of Mantua was highly involved with the church in the 15th century; Bartolomeo Canale was the mayor of Massafiscaglia during the 15th century; Vittorio Canale was a military Captain of the troops at Foligno; Altobello Canale was a knight in Todi in 1470; his brother, Matteo Canale was Captain of the Ghibelline faction in the city; Nicola Canale was an admiral...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Canela Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Canela Ranking

In the United States, the name Canela is the 14,105th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Canela family

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Canela: Gusto Canale, who arrived in the city of Philadelphia in 1868; F. Canales, who arrived in New Orleans in 1825; A. Canales, who arrived in New Orleans in 1829.



  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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