SURNAMES IN ITALY

Surname Pelagalli

Origin and meaning

E. De Felice and E. Rossoni agree that the surname derives from a medieval nickname equivalent to "hen thief."

E. De Felice specifies that Pelagalli is formed from pela- (derived from pelare in the sense of "to pluck" and "to rob") and galli, originally applied to chicken thieves.

E. Rossoni documents its transformation into a surname in the 14th century with the Pelagalli, lords of San Sillo and of Corte de’ Monaci in the Cremona area.

Variants

Geographic distribution: The North, Emilia; Tuscany and Central Italy (sporadic)

📍 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:

  • 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