Show ContentsCastellano History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Castellano originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. 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 traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames 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, but does not necessarily denote nobility. The Castellano family lived at or near a "castle."

Early Origins of the Castellano family

The surname Castellano was first found in the year 1070, when Pantaleone Castelli was responsible for the construction of the bronze doors for the church of San Paolo.

Early History of the Castellano family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Castellano research. The years 1210, 1211, 1229, 1390, 1420, 1488, 1500, 1521, 1557, 1600, 1608, 1624, 1629, 1659, 1660 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Castellano History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Castellano 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 Castellano include Castelli, Castello, Castella, Castiello, Castiglio, Del Castello, Del Castiglio, Castelletti, Castelletto, Castelletta, Castellini, Castellino, Castellucci, Casteluccio, Castelluzzi, Castelluzzo, Castellotti, Castellotto, Castellone, Castiglione, Castiglioni, Castioni, Castellacci, Castellaccio, Castellazzi, Castellazzo, Castellani, Castellano, Castellana, Castellàn, Castellaneta, Castellari, Castellaro, Castellarini, Castellarìn, Castelfranco, Castelfranchi, Castelnovo, Castelnuovo, Castelnovi, Castelvecchio, Castelvecchi, Castelvetro and many more.

Early Notables of the Castellano family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Alberto Castellani was mayor of Cerea in 1210, 1211, and again in 1229; Pierozzo Castellani was a priest in 1390; Luca Castellano was a priest in 1420; Agostino Castelli of Brescia was a military engi...

Castellano Ranking

In the United States, the name Castellano is the 4,254th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Castellano is ranked the 5,421st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


United States Castellano migration to the United States +

Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Castellano or a variant listed above:

Castellano Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Juan Castellano, who sailed to America in 1512
  • Martín Castellano, to Hispaniola in 1536
Castellano Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Juan Castellano, who arrived in America in 1812 3
  • Barbara Castellano, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 3
  • F Castellano, aged 28, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
  • P Castellano, aged 38, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1860 3
  • Agnese Castellano, aged 35, who landed in America from Guardia, in 1894
Castellano Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Adalaide Castellano, aged 21, who settled in America from Montesiloana, Italy, in 1905
  • Alberico Castellano, aged 16, who settled in America from Meta, Italy, in 1907
  • Alessandro Castellano, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from Pisciotta, Italy, in 1909
  • Adelaide Castellano, aged 9, who immigrated to the United States from Mezzojuso, Sicily, in 1910
  • Adelina Castellano, aged 17, who landed in America from Canicotti, Girgenti, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Castellano migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Castellano Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Martin Castellano, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Castellano (post 1700) +

  • Talia Joy Castellano (d. 2013), American Internet celebrity
  • Richard Salvatore Castellano (1933-1988), American actor who gained fame playing the part of Peter Clemenza, in The Godfather
  • Joe Castellano (b. 1962), American broadcaster
  • Thomas Castellano Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2004 5
  • Philip Castellano, American politician, First Selectman of Norwalk, Connecticut, 1922-27 5
  • Mary Anne Castellano, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1980 5
  • John Castellano, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Colorado, 1992 5
  • Ramón Castellano de Torres (b. 1947), Spanish artist
  • Pedro Orlando Castellano Arrieta (b. 1970), Venezuelan former Major League Baseball player
  • Javier Castellano (b. 1977), Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing


  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. 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)
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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