Where the Costagliola surname comes from
Scholars don’t agree on the origin of Costagliola, and there are two proposed paths. The first leads to a Sicilian word for a gentle slope, a hill. The second leads to Castile, the great region of Spain.
One thing is certain: it’s an old surname. In 1580 a great many people on Procida already bore it. The two theories, and the old spellings of the name, are in the PDF.
The families’ second name
On a small island where half the town was named Costagliola, telling one family from another wasn’t easy. Procida found a solution that lasted for centuries, and it reached the hill across from the island too. The PDF explains how it worked, and which names came out of it.
Where the Costagliolas live today
Costagliola is a surname of the sea. There are about 1,000 families in Italy, and their heart is Campania, between Procida and Monte di Procida. On the island it’s the fifth most common surname, one of the great old names along with Lubrano, Scotto and Schiano. Tuscany comes second, then Lombardy. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
In documents from the 1500s and 1600s the surname is written in many ways, between Procida and Ischia. The PDF lists the old spellings.
FAQ
What does the surname Costagliola mean?
Its origin is debated. It may come from a Sicilian word meaning “gentle slope,” “hill,” or from Castile, the region of Spain, with the diminutive -ola.
Is Costagliola a surname from Procida?
Yes. It’s the fifth most common surname on the island of Procida, and in 1580 a great many people already bore it. Today its heart is still Campania, between Procida and Monte di Procida.
Is Costagliola a Spanish surname?
That’s not certain. One of the two theories traces it to Castile, because Naples and its islands were under Spain for a long time. The other ties it to a word for a hill.
Are all Costagliolas related?
No. On the island there were so many Costagliolas that families told themselves apart with a second name. Even back then, sharing a surname didn’t mean being related. To trace your own story you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Costagliola surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility. It was born in a community of sailors and fishermen, and most Costagliola families never had a coat of arms.
Is there a Costagliola family coat of arms?
If a Costagliola family of Procida or Naples had a coat of arms, it was theirs alone. No single coat of arms belongs to every Costagliola.
