Fanelli
An Italian surname most likely formed from a personal name or nickname based on a root meaning “little pan, fan, or blade,” depending on local dialect and family history.
The #7,408 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,717 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fanelli is an Italian surname, and its ending -elli often marks a family name built from a given name or a nickname. The root Fan- is probably connected to a personal name or to a dialect word with a concrete meaning, but the exact source can vary by region and is not certain from the surname alone. In many Italian surnames, such a form can mean “descendants of” or “belonging to the family of” an earlier bearer of the name.
History
The surname is found in Italy and among Italian emigrant families abroad, especially in the United States. Like many southern and central Italian surnames, it likely spread through migration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because Fanelli can arise from more than one local naming tradition, separate family lines may not share a single origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Italian surnames ending in -elli are often diminutive or family-based forms, which can make them look small in form but broad in family history.