Show ContentsMichele History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Michele

What does the name Michele mean?

The distinguished surname Michele can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. 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 Venice 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 Michele came from the personal name Michele, or Michael in English. If the suffix of the name is "i," the surname denotes the plural form of the name.

Early Origins of the Michele family

The surname Michele was first found in such areas as Bassano, Verona, Trentino, Vicenza, and even Florence and Bologna. The Michieli family in Venice dates back to 697, where they played an instrumental role in the election of the new doge in the same year. The next record shows Vitale Michieli, who was one of the first tribunes of Venice in 869. This specific lineage went on to produce three more doges: Vitale, Domenico and Vitale II in 1096, 1118, and 1156, respectively. Also among the descendents were nine generals, eleven caretakers of the huge Venetian cathedral of Saint Mark, a cardinal, much chivalry and many senators. One of the earliest records of the family was Domenico Michele, the 35th Doge of Venice who reigned from 1117 to 1130.

Early History of the Michele family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Michele research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1390, 1423, 1434, 1440, 1451, 1472, 1508, 1604, 1655, 1665, 1679, 1698 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Michele History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michele 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 Michele include DeMicheli, DeMichelis, Megale, Megali, Megalini, Megalizzi, Miai, Miale, Miali, Micale, Micalella, Micaletti, Micaletto, Micali, Micalini, Micalizio, Micalizzi, Micalli, Micallo, Micarelli, Micela, Miceli, Micella, Micelli, Micello, Michela, Michelacci, Michelbgnoli, Michelbn, Michelbngeli, Michelbngioli, Michelani, Michelassi, Michelato, Michelazzi, Michelazzo, Michele, Micheletti and many more.

Early Notables of the Michele family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Micheletto Attendolo (c. 1390- c. 1451), Italian condottiero
  • Micheletto Corella (died 1508), Italian condottiero. Piero Adamo DeMicheli, born in Mantova in 1440, was another noteworthy member of the Michele heritage. He was an aristocrat of the court and owned a larg...


Michele migration to the United States +

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

Michele Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Learpetta Michele, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1858 1

Michele migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Michele Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Fred. Michele, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Reliance" 2
  • John Michele, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Reliance" 2
  • Mr. Richard Michele, (b. 1836), aged 21, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Michele (post 1700) +

  • Lea Michele (b. 1986), stage name of Lea Michele Sarfati, an American three-time People's Choice Award winning, Satellite Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winning actress, singer, and author. She is known for her role as Rachel Berry on the Fox comedy-drama series Glee (2009-2015)
  • Gabriel De Michèle (b. 1941), former French footballer who played for the France National Team (1966-1967)
  • Kirstjen Michele Nielsen (b. 1972), American attorney and national security expert, 6th United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2017-)
  • Antonio Michele Coppi (1948-2024), Italian politician who served as Senator for one legislature (1992-1994)
  • Antonio Michele Stanca (1942-2020), Italian geneticist who died of COVID-19
  • Lari Michele White (1965-2018), birth name of Lari White Cannon, American country music artist and actress
  • Ashley Michele Greene (b. 1987), American five-time Teen Choice Award winning actress and model, best known for her role as Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight novels
  • Julie Michele Condra (b. 1970), American Young Artist Award nominated film and television actress
  • Kali Michele Rocha (b. 1971), American actress
  • Heather Michele O'Rourke (1975-1988), American child actress, best known for her roles in the Poltergeist film trilogy and her lines "They're here!" and "They're baa-aack!"; she died at the age of 12 of cardiac arrest from a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis


  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)
  2. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RELIANCE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Reliance.htm
  3. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf


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