The surname Fella has multiple possible origins depending on the region of Italy in which it developed. According to the available sources, it may derive either from an ancient nickname associated with personal characteristics or from a dialectal term referring to a plant characteristic of the Sicilian landscape.

Origin and Development

E. Rossoni proposes that the surname originated from nicknames based on the Late Latin term felo, meaning "rebel" or "perfidious." This word may itself derive from the Old Saxon verbs felen or fellan, meaning "to fall," "to err," or "to deceive." The same linguistic root later gave rise to the Italian word fellone, meaning "traitor" or "villain."

According to Rossoni, the original reason for such a nickname is difficult to determine today, but it likely referred to a personal trait, reputation, or social perception of the ancestor who first bore it.

Sicilian Origin

V. Blunda offers a different interpretation for the Sicilian branch of the surname. He classifies Fella among surnames derived from plant names and traces it to the Sicilian dialect word fella, meaning the giant fennel (Ferula communis).

This plant was common throughout the Sicilian countryside and had several practical uses. Its hollow stems were traditionally employed by shepherds as lightweight staffs and as tinder for starting fires. According to Blunda, the surname may have originated from a minor place name referring to an area where giant fennel grew abundantly.

Distribution

E. Rossoni records the surname in several areas of central and southern Italy, particularly in:

• The provinces of Rome and Frosinone (Lazio)
• The province of Isernia (Molise)
• The province of Salerno (Campania)
• The provinces of Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce (Puglia)

Summary

Fella is an Italian surname with distinct regional origins. In central and southern Italy it likely derives from a medieval nickname connected to the Late Latin felo, associated with rebellion or deceit. In Sicily, however, it may derive from the dialect word fella, meaning giant fennel, either as a nickname or as a surname linked to a local place name. These different origins probably developed independently in separate regions of Italy.