Costello (surname)

Costello is an Irish and Italian surname.

History

The surname has been borne by a notable Irish family who claimed descent from Hostilo (or Hostilio) d'Angulo, an Anglo-Norman knight. Hostilio d'Angulo accompanied his father, Gilbert d'Angulo and brother Jocelyn d'Angulo to Ireland in 1172 under the leadership of the Earl of Pembroke Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow. The invasion was of course ultimately under the command of Anglo-Norman king, Henry ll.

Pope Adrian IV, the first English pope, in one of his earliest acts, had already issued a Papal Bull in 1155, giving Henry authority to invade Ireland to bring the Irish Church into conformity with Roman practice.

It is reported that the surname d'Angulo derives from Angle, Pembrokeshire where the d'Angulo's resided prior to the invasion.

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.)^[1]

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.^[2]

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).

People born with the surname

• Ashley Costello, Lead vocalist for New Years Day
• Anthony Costello, Professor of International Child Health
• Barry M. Costello, United States Navy Vice Admiral
• Billy Costello, American boxer
• Carol Costello, CNN news reporter
• Daniel Rae Costello, Pacific musician
• Diosa Costello (1913–2013), American actress
• Dolores Costello, American film actress
• Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh, Irish soldier and rapparee (died 1667)
• Frank Costello (footballer) (1884–1914), English footballer who played for Southampton and West Ham United
• Helene Costello, American film actress, from whom Lou Costello (see below) took his stage name
• Herman T. Costello (1920-2017), American politician
• Jerry Costello, American politician
• Joe Costello (politician) (born 1945), Irish Labour Party politician
• John Costello (baseball) (born 1960), American baseball pitcher
• John A. Costello (1891–1976), Taoiseach of Ireland
• John M. Costello (1903–1976), U.S. Representative from California
• John Costello (Medal of Honor recipient) (1850–?), U.S. Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
• Joseph Costello (electronic design automation), American computer scientist
• Joseph Arthur Costello (1915–1978), American Catholic bishop
• Larry Costello, American professional basketball coach
• Louisa Stuart Costello, British author and poet
• Mark Costello (disambiguation), several people
• Matt Costello, footballer
• Matthew J. Costello, author
• Maurice Costello, American stage and screen actor
• Michael Costello (actor), American 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
• Ryan Costello, American politician
• 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, American Roman Catholic bishop
• Victor Costello, Irish rugby union player
• Ward Costello, American actor

People adopting the surname as a pseudonym

• Al Costello, the ring name of Italian-Australian professional wrestler Giacomo Costa
• Diosa Costello, American performer
• Elvis Costello, British singer and musician (real name Declan Patrick MacManus)
• Frank Costello, American criminal and mobster (born in Italy as Francesco Castiglia; took the Costello name in the 1920s)
• Lou Costello, Italian-American actor and comedian (born Louis Francis Cristillo), part of Abbott and Costello

Fictional characters with the surname

• Charlie Costello, one of the several psychopaths in the film Seven Psychopaths, portrayed by actor Woody Harrelson
• 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
• Nora Costello, the protagonist of The Voice I Just Heard, a novel by Susan Dormady Eisenberg
• 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

• Costello (disambiguation)
• Costelloe (disambiguation)

References