Show ContentsCarillo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Carillo. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt 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 were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Local names, also found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Carillo family lived in a town just outside Palermo, as in 1189, a member of the Caro family was the Archbishop of Monreale.

Early Origins of the Carillo family

The surname Carillo was first found in Sicily (Italian: Sicilia), the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Naples and the southern portion of the peninsula. Research shows that records of the Carillo family date back to the year 1189 when a member of the Caro family was the Archbishop of Monreale, a town just outside Palermo.

Early History of the Carillo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carillo research. The years 1460, 1470, 1499, 1507, 1508, 1520, 1525, 1543, 1557, 1566, 1571, 1602, 1610, 1653, 1713, 1725, 1770, 1825 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Carillo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carillo Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Carillo include Caro, Cari, Cara, De Caro, Di Caro, Di Cara, La Cara, Li Cari, Carello, Carelli, Carella, Carillo, Caretti, Caroli, Caretta, Carino, Carini, Caruccio, Carucci, Carocci, Carracci, Caricchio, Caricchia, Carollo, Carullo, Carulli, Carotti, Carone, Caroni, Carofiglio, Carofratello, Carolillo, Carotenuto and many more.

Early Notables of the Carillo family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was Marchetto Cara (c. 1470-1525), an Italian composer, lutenist and singer of the Renaissance.Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, (1571-1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. He is most famous for his technique of "Chiaroscuro" or light and dark contrast. Some of his most famous works include The Calling of St. Matthew, and David with the Head of Goliath.Polidoro Caldara, usually known as Polidoro da Caravaggio (c. 1499-1543) was an Italian painter of the Mannerist period...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carillo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carillo Ranking

In the United States, the name Carillo is the 6,929th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Carillo is ranked the 9,518th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Carillo family

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Carillo arrived in North America very early: Miss Cara, who sailed to New Orleans in 1821, and S. Caro, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851.


Contemporary Notables of the name Carillo (post 1700) +

  • Mary Carillo (b. 1957), American sportscaster and former professional tennis player
  • Victor Carillo (b. 1965), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2004 3
  • Ramon Carillo, American politician, Representative from Texas 21st District, 1976 3
  • Pedro C. Carillo, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 2nd District, 1854-55 3
  • José A. Carillo (1796-1862), American politician, Delegate to California State Constitutional Convention from Los Angeles District, 1849 3
  • Fred Carillo (1926-2005), Filipino comic book artist
  • Oscar Carillo Quiñones (b. 1941), Peruvian chess master
  • Carillo Gritti (1942-2016), Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of the Territorial Prelature of Itacoatiara, Brazil, from 2000 until his death


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook