Borrelli
An Italian surname, most likely a patronymic or diminutive form built from a personal name such as Borrello.
The #9,458 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,752 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Borrelli is an Italian surname formed with the plural or family-name ending -elli, which often points to “the descendants of” or “the family of” a man called Borrello or a similar given name. The underlying personal name is itself old and somewhat uncertain in origin, so the surname is best understood as a family name built from a preexisting nickname or forename rather than from a common noun. In practice, it functions as a hereditary Italian family name that began as a reference to an ancestor.
History
The surname is most strongly associated with southern Italy, especially regions such as Campania and Calabria, where many Italian surnames with -elli developed and became hereditary. It also appears in Italian diaspora communities abroad, including the United States, where it is carried by a relatively small number of families. Because the base name is old and not fully transparent, different local branches may not share one single origin beyond the same surname form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -elli is a common clue in Italian surnames: it often signals a family or lineage name rather than a standalone word.