Where the Mondello surname comes from
The origin of Mondello is disputed and has two possible explanations. The first is a place: in Sicily there are localities with this name, the best known being the seaside village on the Gulf of Palermo. The second is a given name: Mondello as an affectionate form of Raimondo or Edmondo, “little Raimondo.”
A name with two faces
Scholars do not choose between the two explanations. The PDF tells both honestly, without passing either one off as the final truth.
Where the Mondello families live today
Mondello is a Sicilian surname: about 2,600 people carry it in Italy, and almost seven in ten live in Sicily. Its heartland is in the Messina area. In San Fratello, in the Nebrodi mountains, it is among the very first surnames in town. Outside the island, the regions with the most Mondello are Lombardy and Lazio, after the migrations of the 1900s. Worldwide there are just over 5,000. The PDF has the region-by-region map and the countries they reached.
Variants
The PDF records no common variants of Mondello: the surname almost always appears in this one form.
FAQ
What does the surname Mondello mean?
Its origin is disputed. It may come from a place name, one of the Sicilian localities called Mondello. Or it may come from a given name like Raimondo or Edmondo.
Is Mondello a Sicilian surname?
Yes. Almost seven bearers in ten live in Sicily, where the surname is found nearly everywhere, with its firmest roots in the Messina area.
Does Mondello come from the village near Palermo?
It is one of the two theories. The village’s name has ancient roots, but it tells the story of the place. It does not necessarily apply to every family that carries the surname today.
Does Mondello come from Raimondo?
According to many scholars, yes. It is probably a shortened, affectionate form: the final part -mondo with the ending -ello, which means something small and dear. Mondello would mean “little Raimondo.”
Are all Mondello families related?
No, apart from the ties noted in individual family stories. The surname has several possible origins and is carried by many Sicilian families.
Is the Mondello surname noble?
The surname itself is not a sign of nobility. A coat of arms is recorded for one Mondello family, but it belongs to that house and not to all Mondello.
Is there a Mondello family coat of arms?
Heraldic tradition records a coat of arms for one Mondello family, but only for a single house. A coat of arms valid for all Mondello does not exist.
How do I trace the ancestors of a Mondello?
Start from your family’s exact town. In Sicily civil records begin in 1820; before that you search parish registers, with baptisms, marriages and burials.
