Inglese

This is a very unusual surname. It is recorded both in England and Italy as Ingle, and also in Italy as Inglese, Inghilese, and diminutives such as Ingellis, Ingellotti, Ingolotti, and no doubt others. However although the names are spelt in a similar way in both countries, the origins are almost certainly different. In England the derivation is from the pre 7th century Old Norse-Viking personal name 'Ingialdr'. This was composed of the elements 'Ing' meaning a swelling, and the name of a minor Norse god associated with fertility (!), and 'gialdr', meaning a tribute; hence, "Ing's tribute". The Anglo-Scandinavian forms of the name were Ingald and Ingold, the latter appearing without surname in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Yorkshire. In Italy it is considered that the name derives from 'inghilese' meaning English, and presumably a medieval nickname surname for Englishmen who settled in Italy. Early examples of recordings include in England Edmund Ingold in the Hundred Rolls of the county of Suffolk, and dated 1274, and Thomas Ingleson in the Friary Rolls of Yorkshire in 1458. In Italy we have a problem in that centralised recording as available in England since the 12th century, was not available until after 1860 when Italy became a united nation, and often not even then. An example is that of icola Inglese at Roseto Valetorre, Foggia, on January 30th 1830. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.