De Angelis

De Angelis is an Italian patronymic surname, typically denoting "son of Angelo." The name Angelo itself is the Italian form of the medieval Latin Angelus, meaning "messenger," derived from Greek angelos. As a patronymic, De Angelis reflects a common Italian naming pattern where "De" means "of" or "from," indicating lineage. The surname is also used without the capital D (de Angelis) and has variant forms such as D'Angelo and Angioli.

Etymology and History

The root of the name ultimately traces back to the Greek angelos, which was used in the Bible to describe heavenly messengers. It became popular in Christian cultures due to veneration of Saint Angelus, a 13th-century priest from Jerusalem. In Italy, given names Angelo and Angelina were common, giving rise to patronymic surnames like De Angelis. The surname is particularly frequent in central and southern Italy, including regions such as Lazio, Campania, and Sicily.

Notable Bearers

Numerous individuals bear the surname, including athletes like Sammarinese motorcycle racer Alex de Angelis and Italian Formula One driver Elio de Angelis (1958–1986). In arts and culture, it is represented by Italian voice actress Eleonora De Angelis and novelist Camille DeAngelis. In politics, Aldo DeAngelis served as an American politician from Illinois. Other fields include medicine (Catherine D. DeAngelis), music (Alberto de Angelis), and even fiction (Carmela DeAngelis from The Sopranos).

Distribution

While most common in Italy, the surname has spread globally through emigration, particularly to the United States, Canada, Argentina, and France. According to surname frequency data, De Angelis is one of the more common Italian surnames, ranking within the top 100.

Related Names

Related patronymics include D'Angelo and Angioli, as well as cognates in other languages such as Macedonian Angelov/Angelova and Romanian Anghel/Anghelescu.

• Meaning: "son of Angelo"
• Origin: Italian
• Type: Patronymic surname
• Usage regions: Italy, worldwide diaspora