Celi History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The surname Celi and its many variations have several possible origins. Some are rooted in the Old Italian words "cellaio" or "cellario," which mean "butler;" in which case the name would have been derived from the occupation of the first bearers of the name. Some versions of this name are rooted in the word "cielo," meaning "sky." Alternatively, it is also quite probably that some instances of this surname were derived from place-names such as Cella in Lombardy, Celle, Tuscany, or Cellino, Venice.

Early Origins of the Celi family

The surname Celi was first found in Pistoia, where the Cellesi family originates. The earliest records of bearers of this name date back to a record of the Cella family of Cremona in 1160. In 1200, a member of the Cellesi family of Pistoia was master of the bishops in the city and thus was responsible for appointing new individuals.

Early History of the Celi family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Celi research. Another 26 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1447, 1452, 1500, 1523, 1578, 1601, 1604, 1606, 1637, 1639, 1658, 1659, 1670, 1687, 1689 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Celi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Celi Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Celi, Celli, Cella, Cellotti, Cellini, Cellesi, Cieli, Cielo, Celini, Celìn, Celotti, Celotto, Celozzi, Celoni, Celn, Celona and many more.

Early Notables of the Celi family

Prominent among members of the family was Baccio Cellini, born in 1447 in Florence, famous for his intricate and complicated decorations; Prospero Colonna (1452-1523), an Italian condottiero in the service of the Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire during the Italian Wars; Benvenuto Cellini (born 1500), an Italian goldsmith, sculptor and engraver; Filippo Colonna (1578-1639), Prince of Paliano, an Italian nobleman, the head of the Colonna family of Rome and the hereditary Gran Connestabile at the court of Naples, father of Marcantonio V Colonna; Anna Colonna (1601-1658), an Italian noblewoman of...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Celi Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Celi migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Celi Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

R James Celi, who arrived in Colorado in 1884 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Celi (post 1700) +

Ara Celi (b. 1974), American actress, best known for her role as Ampata Gutierrez the "Inca Mummy Girl" from season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Adolfo Celi (1922-1986), Italian film actor and director

Citations +

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)