SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Avella

Origin and meaning

Widespread from the Naples area to Puglia and Basilicata and, especially in the variant Abella, also in Sicily. Formed from the place name Avèlla (AV), and from the ethnics d'Avella and Avellano (or also from other place names of the type Abèlla and Avèlla, frequent in the South).

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Naples, Puglia, Basilicata, Sicily

📍 You can view how this surname is distributed in Italy: View distribution in Italy (Cognomix)

This entry brings together what 2 authors propose about the origin of the surname. In some cases they agree and reinforce a single hypothesis; in others, they contribute different views worth considering.

Sources

This entry of the Italian Surname Meanings dictionary is based on the following specialized onomastic sources:

  • De Felice, E. (1978). Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. Milano: Mondadori.
  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org