Show ContentsColella History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Colella can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. 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. The most common type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Colella was derived from the given name Nicola or Nicholas. The Italian name Nicola is derived from the Latin name Nicolaus, which means to win and laos, which means people.

Early Origins of the Colella family

The surname Colella was first found in at Lecce, the historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce and a port city located on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula in the 14th century, where Francesco Colaci was an architect.

Interestingly, Saint Deicola or Deicolus "(d. 625), was a native of Leinster and one of the twelve companions who, in imitation of the twelve apostles, attended St. Columbanus from Ireland first to East Anglia and then to France, where he arrived A.D. 589 or 590. On the foundation of the monastery of Luxeuil he appears to have continued with him as one of his monks until 610, when Columbanus, having been expelled from it through the intrigues of Brunehilde, grandmother of Theodoric, king of Burgundy, some of his monks accompanied him into exile. One of these was Deicola, but they had only proceeded two miles when it became evident that he was unequal to the journey, and he besought Columbanus to permit him to stay behind and retire to some solitude. His request was granted, and Deicola thus left alone, and forbidden by his master to return to Luxeuil, sought the depths of the forest. " 1

Early History of the Colella family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colella research. The years 1313, 1320, 1354, 1370, 1506, 1523, 1554, 1636, 1691, 1742, 1752, 1832, 1847 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Colella History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colella Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Colella include Cola, Coli, Colao, De Cola, Di Cola, Colella, Colelli, Culella, Coletta, Coletti, Culletta, Culle, Colitta, Colini, Colino, Coluccia, Coluccio, Colucci, Coluccello, Colucciello, Colussi, Colusso, Colaucci, Colaussi, Colauzzi, Colecchia, Colicchia, Colicchio, Culicchia, Culicchi, Colizza, Colizzi, Colotti, Colutta, Culotta, Cullotta, Cull, Colazzo, Colaci, Colace, Colacino, Colacione, Colardo, Colasio, Colosi, Colazza, Colaizzi, Colacicchi, Colato and many more.

Early Notables of the Colella family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was Gennaro di Cola (c. 1320-c. 1370), an Italian painter of the Trecento; Cola di Rienzo (or di Rienzi) (c. 1313-1354), an Italian medieval politician and popular leader; Malteo Colaci, an intellectual during the 15th century; Agostino and Benedetto Colazza were priests in Velletri in 1506; Sante Colazza was priest of the Commune...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colella Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colella Ranking

In the United States, the name Colella is the 7,165th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


Colella migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Colella:

Colella Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Albina Colella, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Montevilotta, in 1900
  • Andrea Colella, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Erasacco, Italy, in 1906
  • Angela Colella, aged 13, who landed in America from Campolo, Italy, in 1907
  • Alessandro Colella, aged 33, who landed in America from Pentina, Aquila, in 1909
  • Alessandro Colella, aged 19, who immigrated to America from Solapaca, Italy, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Colella (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Anthony Colella (1918-1992), professional American NFL football defensive back
  • Jennifer Lin Colella (b. 1974), American actress and singer
  • Richard Phillip "Rick" Colella Jr. (b. 1951), former American international breaststroke swimmer
  • Phillip Colella, American applied mathematician
  • Guy F. Colella, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1960


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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