Show ContentsBarelli History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Barelli family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. 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 were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Tuscany 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 Barelli is a name for a courageous or brave person having derived from the Latin word "barus."

Early Origins of the Barelli family

The surname Barelli was first found in the town of Baroncello, just outside the historic city of Florence. Earliest records tell of the family Baroncelli, who owned a castle in Baroncello, and moved to Florence in the 11th century. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time, at the beginning of recorded history, was of itself a great distinction and indicative of noble ancestry.

Early History of the Barelli family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barelli research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1287 and 1532 are included under the topic Early Barelli History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barelli 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 Barelli include Barone, Baronio, Varone, Varoni, Varuni, Varone, Baroncelli, Baronchelli, Baroncini, Barelli, Barello, Barel, Barella, Barellini, Barettin, Baruzzi, Baret, Barettini, Barucci, Baruzzo, Barusso, Barocci, Baronti, Barontini, Baroni and many more.

Early Notables of the Barelli family

Prominent among members of the family was Buonricovero di Folco di Bene Baroncelli, who was a priest in Florence in 1287; Deodato Baronci, one of 16 priests of the Baronci family in Florence in the 13th and 14th centuries; as well as Galeotto Baronci, an important member of the community in the 14th century. Gabriello Barone of Lecce was a great soldier who conquered the provinces of Bari and Lecce for the Venetian people. With his army of 800, he then took Ostuni, Brindisi, Mesagne, and Lecce...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barelli Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Barelli migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Barelli

Barelli Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph A Barelli, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1823 1


  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)


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