Costello (surname)

Costello

Pronunciation	/kəˈstɛloʊ/ or (especially in Ireland) /ˈkɒstəloʊ/ Italian: [koˈstɛllo]
Language(s)	English
Origin
Language(s)	Irish and Latin
Word/name	Mac Oisdealbhaigh and Castellum
Meaning	"son of Oisdealbhach (Os-shaped, shaped like the god Os or shaped like god cf. os)" and "small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station"
Other names
Cognate(s)	Mac Oisdealbh, Mac Goisdelbh, Mac Coisdealbhaigh
See also	Mac Coisteala and Castrum

Costello is an Irish surname.

History

The surname has been mainly borne by a notable Irish family who claimed descent from Jocelyn de Angulo, an Anglo-Norman mercenary who accompanied Richard de Clare to Ireland in 1170. Pope Adrian IV, the first English pope, in one of his earliest acts, had already issued a Papal Bull in 1155, giving Henry II authority to invade Ireland to bring the Irish Church into conformity with Roman practice.

The family first appears on record in Ireland in 1193, when the Annals of the Four Masters state: Inis Clothrann do orgain la macaibh Oisdealb, & la macaibh Conchobhair Maonmaighe. (Inishcloghbran was plundered by the sons of Osdealv, and the sons of Conor Moinmoy.)

Oistealb or Osdealv was the Gaelic rendering of Hostilo. The Irish name Oisdealbh is sometimes erroneously attributed to a Gaelic translation of Jocelyn, Jocelyn d'Angulo's given name. In fact, MacOisdealbhaigh is the Gaelic translation of his brother Hostilo (or Hostilio) d'Angulo's first name. Oisdealbh is a much more obvious translation of Hostilo. It is Hostilo's descendants who would bear the surname Mac Oisdealbhaigh (son of Oisdealbh or Hostilo). The surname would later be anglicized to Costello, Costelloe, and Costellow. Gilbert d'Angulo is also sometimes listed as the son of Jocelyn d'Angulo in error. Gilbert d'Angulo is the father of both Jocelyn and Hostilo.

According to the Ellis Island official passenger search, some people came from Italy and Spain to the U. S. as Costello.

It occasionally has been adopted as a pseudonym or stage name by famous people of Italian descent, including Al Costello (né Giacomo Costa), Frank Costello (né Francesco Castiglia), and Lou Costello (né Louis Francis Cristillo). It is also an Italian verb form of costellare: to adorn with stars.

People

• Al Costello (1919–2000), the ring name of Italian-Australian professional wrestler Giacomo Costa
• Anthony Costello (born 1953), British paediatrician and professor
• Ashley Costello, Lead vocalist for New Years Day
• Barry M. Costello (born 1951), United States Navy Vice Admiral
• Billy Costello (1956–2011), American boxer
• Carol Costello (born 1961), American news reporter
• Daniel Rae Costello (born 1961), Pacific musician
• Declan Costello (1926–2011) Irish High Court Judge
• Diosa Costello (1913–2013), American actress
• Dolores Costello (1903–1979), American film actress
• Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh (died 1667), Irish soldier and rapparee
• Elvis Costello (born 1954), English singer and musician, born Declan Patrick MacManus
• Frank Costello (1891–1973), American criminal and mobster (born in Italy as Francesco Castiglia; took the Costello name in the 1920s)
• Frank Costello (footballer) (1884–1914), English footballer who played for Southampton and West Ham United
• Helene Costello (1906–1957), American film actress
• Herman T. Costello (1920-2017), American politician
• Jemma Costello, (born 2001), Tesco call centre worker
• Jensine Costello, (born 1886), Norwegian painter
• Jerry Costello (born 1949), American politician
• Joe Costello (politician) (born 1945), Irish Labour Party politician
• John Costello (baseball) (born 1960), American baseball pitcher
• John Costello (historian) (1943–1995), British historian
• John Costello (Medal of Honor recipient) (1850–?), U.S. Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
• John Costello (pastoralist) (1838–1923), Australian pastoralist
• John A. Costello (1891–1976), Taoiseach of Ireland
• John M. Costello (1903–1976), U.S. Representative from California
• Joseph Costello (electronic design automation) (born 1953), American computer scientist
• Joseph Arthur Costello (1915–1978), American Catholic bishop
• Larry Costello (1931–2001), American professional basketball coach
• Les Costello (1928-2002), Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest
• Lou Costello (1906–1959), Italian-American actor and comedian (born Louis Francis Cristillo), part of Abbott and Costello
• Louisa Stuart Costello (1799–1870), British author and poet
• Mark Costello (disambiguation), several people
• Matt Costello (born 1993), basketball player
• Matthew J. Costello (born 1948), American science fiction author
• Maurice Costello (1877–1950), American stage and screen actor
• Michael Costello (fashion designer), American fashion designer
• Michael Costello (public servant), ex-chief of staff to Australian politician Kim Beazley
• Michael A. Costello (born 1965), State Representative for the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Michael Copps Costello (1875–1936), Canadian politician
• Mike Costello, British sports broadcaster
• Michael Joe Costello (1904–1986), Irish Army general
• Murray Costello, Canadian member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
• Nigel Costello (born 1968), English professional footballer
• Paul Costello, American rower and Olympic medalist
• Peter Costello, Australian politician
• Robert Costello (1921–2014), American TV and film producer, writer, and director
• Ryan Anthony Costello (born 1976), American attorney and politician
• Ryan Christopher Costello (1996–2019), American baseball player
• Seamus Costello, Irish politician, and member of the Irish Republican Army
• Sean Costello, American blues musician
• Stephen Costello, American opera tenor
• Sue Costello American comedian and actress
• Tim Costello, Australian Baptist minister and author
• Thomas Joseph Costello (1929–2019), American Roman Catholic bishop
• Victor Costello, Irish rugby union player
• Vince Costello (1932–2019), American football player
• Ward Costello, American actor

Fictional characters with the surname

• Charlie Costello, one of the several psychopaths in the film Seven Psychopaths, portrayed by actor Woody Harrelson
• Ermes Costello, side character in the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean.
• Esther Costello, the deaf mute title character of the film The Story of Esther Costello, portrayed by actress Heather Sears
• Frank Costello, the antagonist of the film The Departed, portrayed by actor Jack Nicholson
• Frank "Punch" Costello, the "most drunken" character in chapter 14, the Oxen of the Sun episode, of James Joyce's Ulysses.
• Jef Costello, the antihero of the film Le Samouraï, portrayed by actor Alain Delon
• Kaitlin Costello, the key witness in the 1982 courtroom drama film The Verdict, portrayed by actress Lindsay Crouse
• Maggie Costello, the protagonist of The Last Testament, book by Sam Bourne
• Martha Costello QC, the lead character in the 2011- BBC series Silk, portrayed by actress Maxine Peake
• Suzie Costello, a character from the British television show Torchwood, portrayed by actress Indira Varma
• The Costello family in Hollyoaks, a British television show
• The Costello family in Tangerine, book by Edward Bloor
• The Costello family in The Clinic, an Irish television show

See also

• Castello (surname)
• Castillo (surname)
• Costello (disambiguation)
• Costelloe (disambiguation)