The Colelli Family Name

The last name Colelli is one of the recorded forms of Colella, an Italian family name. It grew out of a personal name: “from Colella, a pet form of Nicola”.

• The change of ending between Colella and Colelli reflects the Italian habit of naming a family in the plural or the singular.
• Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.
• The same family of names includes Cola.

Family crest and blazon

Arms linked to Colella and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Want more than a summary? See the Colelli family name pack.