Show ContentsSpina History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Spina

What does the name Spina mean?

The Spina surname is derived from the Latin "spina," meaning "thorn bush," and was most originally born by someone who lived by a large or unusual thorn bush.

Early Origins of the Spina family

The surname Spina was first found in Naples, (Italian: Napoli, Latin: Neapolis) where the first bearer of the name on record is Ugone Spinelli in 1094. The name is also became common quite early in Emilia-Romagna and Venetia. The spelling variations of Spina which end in "i" are much more common and appear in records mostly in the north, whereas the rarer variations which end in "o" are from the south.

One of the first records of the name appears as both a forename and surname, Spinello Aretino (c. 1350- c. 1410), the Italian painter from Arezzo, who was active in Tuscany at the end of the 14th and the first decennium of the 15th century. He was born Spinello Di Luca Spinelli.

Early History of the Spina family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spina research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1387, 1453, 1475, 1546, 1594, 1628, 1646, 1659, 1694, 1699, 1719 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Spina History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spina Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Spinelli, Spinello, Spiniello, Spinella, Spinetti, Spinozza, Spinozzi and many more.

Early Notables of the Spina family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Bartolomeo Spina (born c. 1475-1546), Italian Dominican theologian and scholastic philosopher

Spina Ranking

In the United States, the name Spina is the 7,575th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Spina migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spina Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alfonso Spina, aged 41, who landed in America from Barra, Italy, in 1907
  • Alfredo Spina, aged 17, who immigrated to America from Pietrafitta, in 1907
  • Angela Spina, aged 51, who immigrated to the United States from Acireale, Sicily, in 1909
  • Antonio Spina, aged 22, who landed in America from S Giovanni Feore, Italy, in 1909
  • Antonio Spina, aged 47, who landed in America from L.Bartola, Italy, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Spina (post 1700) +

  • Lane Spina, American gold, silver and bronze medalist freestyle skier
  • Joey Spina (b. 1977), American professional boxer
  • Harold Spina (1906-1997), American composer
  • Frank La Spina, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, 1999 2
  • Anthony Spina, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1974 3
  • Laurie Spina (b. 1963), Australian retired rugby league footballer
  • Joe Spina (b. 1946), Canadian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (1995 to 2003)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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