Where the Campanella surname comes from
Campanella means “little bell.” Like many surnames from the South, it began as a nickname. In town it set one person apart from the others, and then it passed to the children.
There is more than one possible path. The founder may have had a trade tied to bells, lived next to a bell tower, or had a character that reminded people of a little bell. No dictionary can say which path is right for each family. The PDF tells what a whole region has to do with the word campana, “bell.”
The friar from Stilo
The most famous Campanella was born in Stilo, in Calabria, the son of a poor shoemaker. As a boy he listened to the teacher’s lessons from the window, because there was no money for school. He became one of the most important philosophers of his century and spent a huge part of his life in prison. The PDF tells how he saved it, and what he wrote in his cell.
Where the Campanellas live today
Campanella is a surname scattered all over Italy, with two hearts: Sicily and Apulia. There are about 3,700 families in Italy. In Putignano, in the province of Bari, it is actually the town’s third most common surname. Many Campanellas live overseas today. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same bell gave different surnames, from the North to Apulia, and one of them tells of a trade. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Campana | Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna |
| Campanella | Sicily, Apulia |
| Campanelli | Apulia, Marche, Lazio |
| Campanale | Apulia |
| Campanaro | Veneto, Apulia |
FAQ
What does the Campanella surname mean?
It means “little bell.” It began as a nickname, perhaps for a trade tied to bells, a house near a bell tower or a trait of character.
Is Campanella a Sicilian or an Apulian surname?
Both. Sicily and Apulia are the regions where it is most common, followed by Liguria. In Putignano, in the province of Bari, it is the town’s third most common surname.
Are Campanella and Campana the same surname?
They come from the same word. Campana is the full form, more frequent in the North; Campanella is the diminutive, strong in the South. Campanelli, Campanale and Campanaro belong to the same family of names.
Are all Campanellas related?
No. A nickname like this one was born in many different places, and each line may have had its own reason. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Do the Campanellas descend from Tommaso Campanella?
There is no reason to think so. Tommaso was a Dominican friar, and the surname began as a nickname in many different places, among families that weren’t related.
Is the Campanella surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility. Heraldic archives record a few Campanella families with a coat of arms, such as the one from Castrovillari with a branch in Putignano. Most, however, come from ordinary families.
Is there a Campanella family coat of arms?
Some Campanella families had a coat of arms, but it belonged to that specific branch. The archives record several, and they don’t look alike. There is no coat of arms for all the Campanellas.
