Show ContentsManella History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and fascinating Italian region of Venice emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Manella family. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Manella came from a "fierce" or "strong man." In some cases, the name Manni may have arisen as an occupational name.

Early Origins of the Manella family

The surname Manella was first found in the city of Cremona. The Manna family records date back to 1037. The Mannino variant is a Sicilian family name originating in San Piero Patti in the Province of Messina in Sicily.

Early History of the Manella family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manella research. The years 1396, 1459, 1460, 1594, 1600, 1639, 1640, 1667, 1674, 1697 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Manella History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manella Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Manella include Manni, Manno, Mannelli, Mannello, Mannetti, Mannini, Mannino, Mannucci, Mannuzzi, Mannoni, Mannone, Manneschi, Manelli, Manenti, Manucci, Mannocci, Maniate, Manna, Mannamo, Mannina and many more.

Early Notables of the Manella family

Prominent among members of the family was Giannozzo Manetti (1396-1459), a Florentine politician and diplomat, and also a significant humanist scholar of the early Italian Renaissance; Vincenzo Manenti (also known as Vincenzio Manenti) (c. 1600-1674), an Italian painter of the Baroque period; Francesco Manelli (Mannelli) (1594-1667), a Roman Baroque composer, particularly of opera, and theorbo player; Carlo Mannelli (1640-1697), an Italian violinist, castrato and composer; Vincenzo Manenti (c. 1600-1674), an Italian painter of the Baroque period...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Manella Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Manella migration to the United States +

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Manella or a variant listed above:

Manella Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Manuel Manella, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1857 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Manella (post 1700) +

  • Nora M. Manella, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, 1994-98 2


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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