Napoli History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Italy

Etymology of Napoli

From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Napoli. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Napoli family lived in the city of Naples.

Early Origins of the Napoli family

Early History of the Napoli family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Napoli research. The years 1881, 1906, 1911 and 1972 are included under the topic Early Napoli History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Napoli Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Napoli include Napoletano, Napoli, Napolitano and others.

Early Notables of the Napoli family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

• Enrico Caracciolo di Napoli was made governor of the city of Troina by the King Frederick II of Aragona...
• The family stayed in Sicily for centuries, predominantly settling in the city of Palermo, and the attachment di Napoli was passed along throughout the generations...
• Later, Gennaro Napoli, born in 1881, won the National Music Award in Rome in 1906...

Napoli Ranking

In the United States, the name Napoli is the 7,949^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1