Costello is a surname. It is often found among people of Irish origin, though other ethnic backgrounds may possess it (like some Italian-Americans).

History

The Irish surnames Costello, Costelloe, and Costellow are anglicized forms of the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

surname ''Mac Oisdealbhaigh'', itself a Gaelicized form of an

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

name. This was the first example of a Norman family assuming a Gaelic name.Edward MacLysaght, ''The Surnames of Ireland'', under “Costello”. This surname has been mainly borne by a notable Irish family who claimed descent from

Jocelyn de Angulo Jocelyn de Angulo, 1st Baron of Navan (''fl.'' 1172), was an Anglo-Norman knight. Biography De Angulo was one of fifty knights serving under Hugh de Lacy upon the latter's grant of the Lordship of Meath by King Henry II of England in 1172. Joce ...

, an

mercenary who accompanied

Richard de Clare Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

to Ireland in 1170 during the

Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly san ...

. An early record of the name in Ireland appears in the 17th century

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

where the name is mentioned in the entry for the year in 1193: ''Inis Clothrann do orgain la macaibh Oisdealb, & la macaibh Conchobhair Maonmaighe.'' (Inishcloghbran was plundered by the sons of Oisdealb, and the sons of Conor Moinmoy.) The descendants of Oisdealb then became referred to by the family name ''Mac Oisdealbhaigh'' (son of Oisdealb). Costello has also occasionally has been adopted as a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

by famous people of Italian descent, including

Al Costello Giacomo Costa (14 December 1919 – 22 January 2000) was an Italian Australian professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Al Costello. Costello was the first professional wrestler to be nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Holds" because of ...

(''né'' Giacomo Costa),

Frank Costello Frank Costello (; born Francesco Castiglia; ; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by ...

(''né'' Francesco Castiglia) and

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine "Who's on First?" ...

(''né'' Louis Francis Cristillo).

People

(1919–2000), the ring name of Italian-Australian professional wrestler Giacomo Costa *

Anthony Costello Anthony Costello (born 20 February 1953) is a British paediatrician. Until 2015 Costello was Professor of International Child Health and Director of the Institute for Global Health at the University College London. Costello is most notable fo ...

(born 1953), British paediatrician and professor * Anthony J. Costello, Australian urologist *

Ashley Costello New Years Day is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California, in 2005. After building a reputation strictly through promotion on the social networking website MySpace, the band released its debut self-titled EP in 2006 and their first ...

, Lead vocalist for New Years Day * Barry M. Costello (born 1951), United States Navy Vice Admiral *

Billy Costello (boxer) Billy Costello (born William Donald Castiglioni; April 10, 1956 – June 29, 2011) was a professional boxer in the United States. Early life Costello was born in Kingston, New York, on April 10, 1956, to a Sicilian father and a mother of Native ...

(1956–2011), American boxer *

Cormac Costello Cormac Costello (born 18 July 1994) is a Gaelic football forward for the Dublin county team, with which he has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and four National Football League medals. The former Ardscoil Rís stude ...

(born 1994), Gaelic football player *

Carol Costello Carol Costello (born October 11, 1961) is an American television anchor and former host of '' CNN Newsroom''. In 2017, she left CNN to join sister network HLN, based in Los Angeles. In October 2018, HLN announced that Costello would be let go, ...

(born 1961), American news reporter *

Daniel Rae Costello Daniel Rae Costello (17 June 1961 – 22 July 2019) was a Fijian-born musician based in Samoa. He died on 22 July 2019 of cancer. Personal life Born in Suva, Fiji, Costello, along with his brother, attended high school in Whangārei, New Zealan ...

(born 1961), Pacific musician * Declan Costello (1926–2011) Irish High Court Judge *

Desmond Patrick Costello Desmond Patrick Costello (31 January 1912 – 23 February 1964) was a New Zealand-born linguist, soldier, diplomat and university lecturer and professor who has been accused of being a KGB agent. Early life Costello was born in Auckland, the second ...

(1912-1964), linguist, soldier, diplomat and academic *

Diosa Costello Juana de Dios Castrello, better known as Diosa Costello (April 23, 1913 – June 20, 2013), was a Puerto Rican entertainer, performer, producer and club owner,Dolores Costello Dolores Costello (September 17, 1903Costello's obituary in ''The New York Times'' says that she was born on September 17, 1905. – March 1, 1979) was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. ...

(1903–1979), American film actress *

Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh Colonel Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh, Irish soldier and Rapparee, died on Sunday 3 March 1667. Life Mac Coisdealbhaigh was a member of the Costello family of Connacht. His brother was the soldier and poet, Tomás Láidir Mac Coisdealbhaig ...

(died 1667), Irish soldier and

rapparee Rapparees or raparees (from the Irish ''ropairí'', plural of ''ropaire'', whose primary meaning is "thruster, stabber," and by extension a wielder of the half-pike or pike), were Irish guerrilla fighters who operated on the Jacobite side du ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

(born 1954), English singer and musician, born Declan Patrick MacManus *

(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 Helene Costello (June 21, 1906 – January 26, 1957) was an American stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era. Early life and career Born in New York City, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage and pioneering ...

(1906–1957), American film actress * Herman T. Costello (1920–2017), American politician *

Jensine Costello Jensine Costello (born 7 May 1886) was a Norwegian painter of portraits and figure subjects who spent her career in Great Britain. Biography Costello was born and grew up in Norway and, after spending time in the United States, moved to England w ...

, (born 1886), Norwegian painter *

Jerry Costello Jerry Francis Costello (born September 25, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for . He previously represented and served in the US House from 1988 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of I ...

(born 1949), American politician *

Joe Costello (politician) Joseph Costello (born 13 July 1945) is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been a member of Dublin City Council since 2019. He served as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituenc ...

(born 1945), Irish Labour Party politician * John Costello (baseball) (born 1960), American baseball pitcher *

John Costello (historian) John Edward Costello (1943- 26 August 1995) was a British military historian, who wrote about World War I, World War II and the Cold War. He was born in Greenock near Glasgow and graduated from Cambridge University in law and Soviet economic hist ...

(1943–1995), British historian * John Costello (Medal of Honor recipient) (1850–?), U.S. Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient *

John Costello (pastoralist) John Costello (31 March 1838 – 25 February 1923) was a pioneer and pastoralist in outback Queensland. Early life Born in Yass, New South Wales, Costello was the fifth child of Michael and Mary Costello. His father was a store-keeper and gra ...

(1838–1923), Australian pastoralist * John A. Costello (1891–1976), Taoiseach of Ireland *

John M. Costello John Martin Costello (January 15, 1903 – August 28, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1935 to 1945. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, California, the son ...

(1903–1976), U.S. Representative from California *

Joseph Costello (electronic design automation) Joseph Ball Costello (born December 6, 1953) is an American executive in the electronic design automation (EDA) industry. He was president and COO of SDA Systems from 1987–1988 and CEO of Cadence Design Systems, which became the largest EDA c ...

(born 1953), American computer scientist *

Joseph Arthur Costello Joseph Arthur Costello (May 9, 1915 – September 22, 1978) was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey from 1963 to 1978. Biography Born in Ne ...

(1915–1978), American Catholic bishop *

Larry Costello Lawrence Ronald Costello (July 2, 1931 – December 13, 2001) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors, the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA and the Wilkes-Barre Barons. ...

(1931–2001), American professional basketball coach *

Les Costello Fr. Lester John Thomas Costello (February 16, 1928 – December 10, 2002) was a Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest. He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joi ...

(1928–2002), Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest *

(1906–1959), Italian-American actor and comedian (born Louis Francis Cristillo), part of

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People *Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

* Louis B. Costello (1876–1959), American businessman and newspaper editor * Louisa Stuart Costello (1799–1870), British author and poet * Mark Costello (disambiguation), several people *

Matt Costello Matthew Tyler Costello (born August 5, 1993) is an American-born naturalized Ivorian professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Michigan State. High school career ...

(born 1993), basketball player * Matthew J. Costello (born 1948), American science fiction author *

Maurice Costello Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 – October 29, 1950) was a prominent American vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s who later played a principal role in early American films as leading man, supporting player, and director ...

(1877–1950), American stage and screen actor *

Michael Costello (fashion designer) Michael Costello (born January 20, 1983) is an American fashion designer and reality television personality. He appeared on the eighth season of '' Project Runway'' and the first season of '' Project Runway All Stars''. Early life Michael Cos ...

, American fashion designer *

Michael Costello (public servant) Michael John Costello is a former senior Australian public servant and chief of staff to former Australian Labor Party politician Kim Beazley during Beazley's tenure as Leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001. In 1992, Costello was appointe ...

, 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 Michael Copps Costello (August 2, 1875 – March 22, 1936) was a Canadian printer, a medical graduate (who never practiced his profession) and the 19th mayor of Calgary, Alberta, holding office from 1915 to 1919. Early life William Costello ...

(1875–1936), Canadian politician *

Mike Costello Mike Costello is a British sports broadcaster. He is the main boxing commentator for DAZN, having previously worked at BBC Radio for 45 years. Early life Costello was born in April 1960 and grew up in Camberwell in south London. Both his par ...

, British sports broadcaster *

Michael Joe Costello Michael Joseph Costello (4 July 1904 – 20 October 1986) was an Irish rebel and military leader during the Irish War of Independence. Biography Michael Joseph Costello was born on 4 July 1904 in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, son of Denis Cos ...

(1904–1986), Irish Army general *

Murray Costello James Murray Costello (born February 24, 1934) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player, executive and administrator who dedicated a lifetime to the advancement of ice hockey in Canada. He played four seasons in the National Hockey League, and ...

, Canadian member of the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

* Nigel Costello (born 1968), English professional footballer *

Paul Costello Paul Vincent Costello (December 27, 1894 – April 17, 1986) was an American triple Olympic Gold Medal winner in rowing. He was the first rower to win a gold medal in the same event, double sculls, at three consecutive Olympics. He also won num ...

, American rower and Olympic medalist *

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

, Australian politician *

, Canadian Artist *

Robert Costello Robert Costello (1921-2014) was an American TV and film producer, writer, and director. His productions include ''The Patty Duke Show'' (briefly), ''Dark Shadows'', ''The Adams Chronicles'', '' The Secret Storm'', ''Ryan's Hope'', '' Another Worl ...

(19212014), American TV and film producer, writer, and director * Ryan Anthony Costello (born 1976), American attorney and politician * Ryan Christopher Costello (19962019), American baseball player *

Seamus Costello Seamus Costello ( ga, Séamus Mac Coisdealbha, 1939 – 5 October 1977) was an Irish politician. He was a leader of Official Sinn Féin and the Official Irish Republican Army and latterly of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and the Ir ...

, Irish politician, and member of the Irish Republican Army *

Sean Costello Sean Costello (April 16, 1979 – April 15, 2008) was an American blues musician, renowned for his fiery guitar playing and soulful singing. He released five critically acclaimed albums before his career was cut short by his sudden death from ...

, American blues musician * Stephen Costello, American opera tenor *

Sue Costello Sue Costello (born April 2, 1968) is an actress, comedian, writer and producer from the Savin Hill area in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Costello starred in the self-titled television series '' Costello'' on Fox, where ...

American comedian and actress *

Tim Costello Timothy Ewen Costello AO (born 4 March 1955) is an Australian Baptist minister who was the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Advocate of World Vision Australia. Costello worked as a lawyer and served as mayor of St Kilda. He has authored a ...

, 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 ''Seven Psychopaths'' is a 2012 satirical black comedy crime drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and starring an ensemble cast featuring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Christopher Walken, with ...

'', portrayed by actor

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

* Ermes Costello, side character in the manga ''

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...

'' Part 6: Stone Ocean. * Esther Costello, the deaf mute title character of the film ''

The Story of Esther Costello ''The Story of Esther Costello'' is a 1957 British drama film starring Joan Crawford, Rossano Brazzi, and Heather Sears. The film is an exposé of large-scale fundraising. ''The Story of Esther Costello'' was produced by David Miller and Ja ...

'', portrayed by actress

Heather Sears Heather Christine Sears (28 September 1935 – 3 January 1994) was a British stage and screen actress. Early life Sears was the daughter of distinguished London doctor William Gordon Sears by his marriage to Eileen Gould."SEARS, Heather, actre ...

* Frank Costello, the antagonist of the film ''

The Departed ''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter ...

'', portrayed by actor

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

* Frank "Punch" Costello, the "most drunken" character in chapter 14, the Oxen of the Sun episode, of James Joyce's ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

''. * Jef Costello, the antihero of the film ''

Le Samouraï ''Le Samouraï'' (; ), is a 1967 neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film follows a professional hitman named Jef Costello who is identified by witnesses and his efforts to provide himself with an alibi ...

'', portrayed by actor

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...

* Kaitlin Costello, the key witness in the 1982 courtroom drama film ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and ...

'', portrayed by actress

Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...

* Maggie Costello, the protagonist of ''The Last Testament'', book by

Sam Bourne Jonathan Saul Freedland (born 25 February 1967) is a British journalist who writes a weekly column for ''The Guardian''. He presents BBC Radio 4's contemporary history series ''The Long View''. Freedland also writes thrillers, mainly under the ...

* Martha Costello QC, the lead character in the 2011- BBC series ''

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

'', portrayed by actress

Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in the BBC One sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000), Veronica Ball in the hit Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' (2004–2007), Mart ...

* Suzie Costello, a character from the British television show ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'', portrayed by actress

Indira Varma Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love''. She has gone on to appear in the television series ''The Canterbury Tales'', ''Rome'', ''L ...

* The Costello family in ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...

'', a British television show * The Costello family in ''Tangerine'', book by

Edward Bloor Edward William Bloor (born October 12, 1950) is an American novelist and playwright, best known for ''Tangerine'' and ''London Calling''. Biography Bloor was born in Trenton, New Jersey, son of Edward Bloor and Mary Cowley. Bloor graduated from ...

* The Costello family in '' The Clinic'', an Irish television show

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Costello Anglicised Irish-language surnames Irish families Surnames of Irish origin

History

People

Fictional characters with the surname

See also

References