Show ContentsPaolo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Paolo comes from the personal name Paolo, the Italian equivalent of Paul. The popularity of this name was originally due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures.

Early Origins of the Paolo family

The surname Paolo was first found in the port city of Genoa. Early records list the physician Gherardo de Paolo, as "one of the 12 wisest men in Genoa in 1315."

Early History of the Paolo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paolo research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1603, 1642, 1681, 1720, 1798 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Paolo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paolo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Paoli, Paolo, Paola, Pauli, Poli, Polo, De Paoli, De Paolis, Paulich, Paolella, Paolillo, Paulillo, Pavolillo, Paoletti, Pauletti, Pauletto, Poletti, Poletto, Polet, Paolini, Paolin, Paolinelli, Paulini, Paulin, Polini, Pavolini, Paolucci, Paulucci, Polucci, Pauluzzi, Poluzzi, Paolicchi, Paolotti, Polotti, Polotto, Paolozzi, Paoloni, Paolone, Paulon, Poloni, Polon, Paolacci, Polacci, Paulazzi, Polazzi, Paolanti, Polato, Polesso, Paoleiri and many more.

Early Notables of the Paolo family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Paolo da Firenze (d. 1419), Italian composer, theorist, and monk, a member of the Camaldolese order
  • Aretino Paolo, a 16th century church musician, composer, and choirmaster of the Arezzo Cathedral


United States Paolo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Paolo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Bartolo Paolo, aged 45, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1848 [1]
  • Aloe Gabriele Paolo, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Lago di Amaudia, in 1899
Paolo Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Angelo Paolo, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Molina, in 1900
  • Amato Paolo, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Siracaso, in 1905
  • Anggolina Paolo, aged 6, who immigrated to the United States from Conflenti, in 1905
  • Andrea Bufion Paolo, aged 17, who landed in America from Tufino, in 1906
  • Anna Paolo, aged 20, who settled in America from Modane, Italy, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Paolo (post 1700) +

  • Connor Paolo (b. 1990), American actor, best known for his role as Eric van der Woodsen on The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl
  • Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980), known as Mantovani, Italian conductor, composer and light orchestra-styled entertainer, the first to sell over one million stereo albums and have six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959
  • Francesco Paolo Fulci (1931-2022), Italian diplomat who served as Ambassador to the United Nations. (1993-1999)
  • Gian Paolo Salvini (1936-2021), Italian Jesuit and opinion journalist
  • Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975), Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual who was murdered on 2 November 1975 on the beach at Ostia
  • Giovanni Paolo Gibertini O.S.B. (1922-2020), Italian Prelate of Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Ales-Terralba (1983–1989) and Reggio Emilia-Guastalla (1989–1998)
  • Pier Paolo Capponi (1938-2018), Italian actor and screenwriter
  • Gian Paolo Gobbo (b. 1949), Italian Venetist politician
  • Pietro Paolo Bencini (1670-1755), Italian Baroque composer
  • Giovanni Paolo Paladino (1540-1560), Italian composer and lutenist from Milan


  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)


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