Colonna History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The surname Colonna and its many variations have several possible origins. Some are rooted in the Old Italian words "cellaio" or "cellario," which mean "butler;" in which case the name would have been derived from the occupation of the first bearers of the name. Some versions of this name are rooted in the word "cielo," meaning "sky." Alternatively, it is also quite probably that some instances of this surname were derived from place-names such as Cella in Lombardy, Celle, Tuscany, or Cellino, Venice.

Early Origins of the Colonna family

The surname Colonna was first found in Pistoia, where the Cellesi family originates. The earliest records of bearers of this name date back to a record of the Cella family of Cremona in 1160. In 1200, a member of the Cellesi family of Pistoia was master of the bishops in the city and thus was responsible for appointing new individuals.

Early History of the Colonna family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colonna research. Another 26 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1447, 1452, 1500, 1523, 1578, 1601, 1604, 1606, 1637, 1639, 1658, 1659, 1670, 1687, 1689 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Colonna History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colonna Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Celi, Celli, Cella, Cellotti, Cellini, Cellesi, Cieli, Cielo, Celini, Celìn, Celotti, Celotto, Celozzi, Celoni, Celn, Celona and many more.

Early Notables of the Colonna family

Prominent among members of the family was

Prospero Colonna (1452-1523), an Italian condottiero in the service of the Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire during the Italian Wars
Filippo Colonna (1578-1639), Prince of Paliano, an Italian nobleman, the head of the Colonna family of Rome and the hereditary Gran Connestabile at the court of Naples, father of Marcantonio V Colonna
Anna Colonna (1601-1658), an Italian noblewoman of the Colonna and Barberini families
Marcantonio V Colonna (1606-1659), an Italian nobleman of the Colonna family and Prince of Paliano, son of Filippo Colonna
Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna (1637-1689), an Italian nobleman of the Colonna family
Angelo Michele Colonna (1604-1687), an Italian painter of the Baroque period, sometimes referred to as Michelangelo Colonna
Giovanni Paolo Colonna (1637-1695), an Italian composer, teacher, organist and organ builder

Colonna Ranking

In France, the name Colonna is the 1,634^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,665 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Colonna family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Petro Cella, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; Giovanni Cella, who was naturalized in Colorado in 1886; Agostino Cella, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1896.

Contemporary Notables of the name Colonna (post 1700) +

Rocco Joseph Colonna (1933-2011), American politician, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1975-1998)
Gerardo Luigi "Jerry" Colonna (1904-1986), Italian-American comedian, singer, songwriter, and trombonist, best remembered as one of Bob Hope's sidekicks on his radio shows of the 1940s and 1950s
Girolamo Colonna di Sciarra (1708-1763), Italian Catholic Cardinal
Dominique Colonna (1928-2023), French footballer who played as a goalkeeper
Dominique Colonna (1928-2023), French footballer who played as a goalkeeper

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/