Where the D’Angelo surname comes from
D’Angelo is a patronymic surname: it means “son of Angelo.” In medieval records people wrote “Giovanni d’Angelo,” meaning Giovanni son of Angelo, and that “d’Angelo” stayed with the family. The name comes from the Greek ánghelos, “messenger.” Christians used it for God’s messengers, and in the Middle Ages it became a name of good fortune.
The angel of the cave
In the South the name Angelo is tied above all to one place: a cave on the Gargano. There, according to tradition, something happened that made it one of the best-loved names in Southern Italy. The PDF tells what happened, and how that sanctuary became famous throughout the West.
Where the D’Angelos live today
D’Angelo is a surname of the whole South, with two hearts: Campania and Sicily. There are about 14,100 families in Italy. Its finest record, though, is in Abruzzo, where D’Angelo is the most common surname in the entire region. In the Cilento there’s also a town where it ranks number one: Roccadaspide, in the province of Salerno. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same name gave rise to different surnames in the South, the Center and the North, plus a long family of regional cousins. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| D’Angelo | Campania, Sicily, Abruzzo |
| De Angelis | Lazio, Campania, Marche |
| Angelini | Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Marche |
| Angeli | Tuscany, Lazio, Lombardy |
| D’Angeli | Lazio, Marche, Sicily |
FAQ
What does the surname D’Angelo mean?
“Son of Angelo.” The name Angelo comes from the Greek ánghelos, “messenger.” In the Middle Ages it was a name of good fortune, chosen to place a son under heaven’s protection.
Is D’Angelo a surname from Abruzzo or from Campania?
Both, and from Sicily too. The largest number of families is in Campania and Sicily. In Abruzzo, though, D’Angelo is the most common surname in the region and in the province of Chieti.
Are D’Angelo and De Angelis the same surname?
They come from the same name. De Angelis is the notaries’ Latin form, “of the Angels,” and it’s more common in Lazio, Campania and the Marche.
Are D’Angelo and Dangelo the same surname?
Yes. Until the 1800s the surname was spelled by whoever kept the register. The same family can appear with the apostrophe, without it, or with De instead of D’. Abroad the apostrophe is often lost.
Are all D’Angelos related?
No. In hundreds of towns there was an Angelo who passed his name on to his children. In the same town the D’Angelos can be dozens of different families, and often the only thing that tells them apart is the nickname their grandparents used.
Is the D’Angelo surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility: it comes from the father’s name, Angelo, which was hugely common throughout the South. Only the records can tell which branch a family comes from.
Is there a D’Angelo family coat of arms?
The archives record coats of arms of individual D’Angelo families, for example in some towns of Molise. No single coat of arms belongs to every D’Angelo, and most families never had one.
