The ancient Italian surname Patelli can be of two different origins, the first from the name of a sea shell, "patella", and the second from the name of a locality in Sicily close to Messina, the town of Patti.
If we consider the first origin, the surname appears to be of occupational origin indicating that the original bearer was gathering or selling "patelle". This shell is flat and gets its name from the Latin "patella" which is the diminutive of "patera", which in turn means "plate".
If instead the name derives from the town of Patti, the surname is of toponymic origin indicating that the progenitor derived from that locality, and the fact that the surname is typically spelled with only one "t" is probably due to a regional pronunciation. In this case the suffix "-elli" of the surname Patelli, is one of those suffixes such as "-ino", "-one", and "-etto", which give a particular flavor and meaning to nouns and adjectives to which they are attached.
Loading...
Early Origins of the Patelli family
The surname Patelli was first found in the town of Patti. Amongst the surname and its variants, we have records of a family by the name of Patti which belonged to the nobility of the city since 1492.
Early History of the Patelli family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Patelli research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1751 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Patelli History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Patelli Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Patellano, Patellani, Patelli and others.
Early Notables of the Patelli family
More information is included under the topic Early Patelli Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
