Gallo

Recorded in many spellings including Gallo, Gallelli, Gallone, and Gallaccio, this is an Italian nickname surname. It originates from a time in history around the medieval period where people do not seem to have been too concerned as to what other people thought about them. 'Nicknames' in particular were often offensive and cruel, being directed at physical or mental deformities. In this case we have a name which derives either from the fact that the original nameholders were men who prided themselves on being snappy dressers and leaders of the flock, or more likely were known for their sexual prowess! The derivation is from the Latin word 'gallus' meaning a cock bird, and almost every country in Europe has examples of surnames which follow a similar pattern. The famous English medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer makes many references to the sort of behaviour which lead to the adoption of 'physical' nicknames. Whatever the precise meaning of this surname it does not seem to have delayed its development. Examples of early recordings in the New World of the Americas includes Jose Gallo, who married Maina del Castillo on January 13th 1793, at San Miguel Arcangel, Mexico, and Nora Maria Gallo, born at Snelling, California, on January 17th 1890. The coat of arms has the blazon of a red field charged with a gold lion rampant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Miguel de Galo, which was dated April 22nd 1645, born at Asuncion, Districto Federal, Mexico, during the reign of King Phillip 1V of Spain, Emperor of Mexico, 1621 - 1665. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.