Martello History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

A variety of distinguished and notable names have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of Tuscany, including the notable surname Martello. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany, who were originally known only by a single name, found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. This process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries, but it was not completed until the modern era. The development of Italian hereditary surnames followed general principles and were characterized by derivatives from one's given name. The patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, was one of the most common name types found in the region of Tuscany. This system of name-making was widely used because it linked well with the existing Feudal System and during the Christian era, many people named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Martello came from the Latin name Martinus, which is a derivative of Mars, who was the Roman god of fertility and war. The popularity of the name Martin is due to Saint Martin de Tours, who was one of the best known saints in the Western World. With the spread of Christianity, people named their children after saints in the hope that the children might enjoy that saint's patronage. Martin is also one of the few saints' names, other than the names of Old English saints, found in England before the Norman Conquest. The name Martelli is a diminutive of the name Martin, but it is also of occupational origin. The occupational name Martelli is derived from the Italian wordmartello meaning hammer, and it referred to a person who was a carpenter or one who worked with a hammer.

Early Origins of the Martello family

The surname Martello was first found in Florence (Italian: Firenze), with Giovanni di Guglielmo Martelli, who moved with his family to Verona in 1333, where he became a lawyer. Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts built based on a design at Mortella (Myrtle) Point in Corsica. Two British warships, HMS Fortitude (74 guns) and HMS Juno (32 guns) in 1794 unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point. Accordingly, the British adapted the fort's design to build over 70 such towers throughout the British Commonwealth.

Early History of the Martello family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martello research. The years 1503 and 1531 are included under the topic Early Martello History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martello Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Martello include Martelli, Martello, Martiello, Martella, Martela, Martellini, Martellino, Martellina, Martellotti, Martellotto, Martellotta, Martelloni, Martellani and many more.

Early Notables of the Martello family

Prominent among members of the family was

The famous Monsignor Francesco Martello, Bishop of Reggio in the 16th century, is of this lineage. Ludovico Martelli was a Florentine writer active from 1503 to 1531 among whose most famous works is a...

Martello Ranking

In the United States, the name Martello is the 15,419^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Martello migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Martello arrived in North America quite early:

Martello Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Angelo Martello, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894

Martello Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Agastino Martello, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Carpineto Romano, in 1906
Antonio Martello, aged 32, who landed in America from Giano Vetasta, Italy, in 1909
Angela Martello, aged 1, who landed in America from Leutini, Sicily, in 1910
Antonio Martello, aged 32, who landed in America from Scilla, Italy, in 1912
Aniello Martello, aged 16, who settled in America from Cantalupo, Italy, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Martello (post 1700) +

Leo Martello (1931-2000), American author, lecturer, gay civil rights activist
Cesar Martello, Canadian NDP politician in Ontario
Alan Martello (b. 1952), retired Australian rules football player
Alfonse Martello D'Amato (b. 1937), American Republican politician, U.S. Senator from New York, 1981-99; Defeated, 1998; Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 2008 2

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html