Show ContentsPassarelli History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

A variety of distinguished and notable names have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of Tuscany, including the notable surname Passarelli. 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 Passarelli would literally mean "the son of Paci" which is originally Latin in origin and means peace.

Early Origins of the Passarelli family

The surname Passarelli was first found in the town of Mugello, with the Passerini family who moved south to Florence in the 10th century. Terranova dei Passerini is a comune in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southeast of Milan.

Early History of the Passarelli family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Passarelli research. The years 1440, 1629, 1651, 1654, 1700, 1714, 1720 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Passarelli History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Passarelli 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 Passarelli. These spelling variations include Passarelli, Passarello, Passareli, Passarelo, Pasucci, Passucci, Pasino, Pasini, Passanini, Pasolini, Pasolino, Passaglia, Passana, Passano, Passani, Passari, Passarini, Passaro, Paselli, Pascucci, Passazi, Passega, Passera, Passeri, Passerini, Passeroni, Passerotti, Passetti, Passi, Passa, Passighetti, Pasella, Pasero, Pasetti, Pasi and many more.

Early Notables of the Passarelli family

Prominent among members of the family was Pietro di Giacomo Paselli, mayor of Perugia in 1440; Pope Innocenzo IV granted Guido Pasi of Rimini the position of Bishop of Nocera at this time; Filippo Pasini was a prominent archaeologist in Ferrara; Ottonello Pasini was considered to be one of the wisest men in Padua in the 14th century; of this Pasini family was also the famous Antonio Pasini, a doctor and poet whose best work is considered to be the Latin poem "Ferronia." Stefano Pasino was a 17th century composer and organist in Brescia and in 1651 became choirmaster and organist...
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Passarelli Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Passarelli Ranking

In the United States, the name Passarelli is the 18,517th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Passarelli migration to the United States +

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Passarelli were

Passarelli Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Francecso Passarelli, aged 29, originally from Genoa, who arrived in New York, N. Y. in 1919 aboard the ship "San Gennaro" from Genoa, Italy 2
  • Rosaria Passarelli, aged 16, originally from Rende, Italy, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "America" from Napoli, Italy 2
  • Emanuele Passarelli, aged 11, originally from Matera, Italy, who arrived in New York City, New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Madonna" from Naples, Italy 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Passarelli (post 1700) +

  • Kenny Passarelli (b. 1949), American fretless bass player, founding member of Barnstorm
  • Eduardo Passarelli (1903-1968), Italian film actor who appeared in 43 films between 1937 and 1962
  • Diego Matías Passarelli (b. 1984), Argentine footballer
  • Pasquale Passarelli (b. 1957), German gold medalist wrestler at the 1984 Summer Olympics
  • Claudio Passarelli (b. 1965), German gold medalist wrestler at the 1989 World Championships


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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