SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Chiariello

Origin and meaning

E. Rossoni notes that this surname is characteristic of the region of Campania, especially of the Naples area and of Sant'Antimo, with presence also in Barletta, in the Bari area. He considers it derived from a nickname.

F. Miranda describes it as a variant of the surname Chiarello, with wide distribution in Italy: the most numerous groups are concentrated in Campania and Puglia, although it also appears in Lombardy, Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Veneto. In Sicily it is recorded with reduced presence in the provinces of Catania, Palermo and Enna. According to Miranda, both Chiariello and Chiarello derive from the medieval name Clarella / Clarellus, and the surname arose from the transformation into a surname of the personal name of the one who originally bore it.

💡 The surname Chiariello also appears as altered form of the surname Chiàri in other studies consulted in this project.

Variants

Altered forms and derivatives

Geographic distribution: Naples area, Bari area

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

Drawing on 2 authors, this entry presents the different hypotheses about the origin of the surname, avoiding a single oversimplified explanation.

Sources

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

  • Rossoni, E. (2002). Origine e storia dei cognomi italiani. Retrieved from https://www.cognomiitaliani.org
  • Miranda, F. (2013). I cognomi di Regalbuto, Catenanuova e Centuripe. Ginevra Bentivoglio EditoriA.