The surname Aureli (and variants such as Aureli and Auregli) is interpreted, according to the main scholars, from an anthroponymic origin linked to the classical Roman tradition. E. De Felice notes that it derives from the personal name Aurelio, a continuation of the old Latin nomen Aurelius, of Italic origin. This name would be related to the cult of a solar divinity —Ausel in the Italic sphere and Usil in Etruscan—, which gives it a meaning symbolically linked to the sun. The surname is found mainly in the Neapolitan area, although some variants also appear in central-northern regions such as Emilia-Romagna and the Marche.

For his part, E. Rossoni agrees on this origin, indicating that these surnames derive from the gens Aurelia or directly from the Roman name Aurelius, one of the most important of Antiquity. This tradition was reinforced by the figure of Marcus Aurelius, emperor between the years 161 and 180 AD, whose renown contributed to the diffusion and prestige of the name in European history.

Taken together, the surname Aureli reflects the continuity of old Roman names in the formation of Italian surnames, preserving the trace of the classical tradition and its later transmission over the centuries as a hereditary surname.