Carmela

Origin & Meaning

Carmela derives from the Hebrew Carmel — the mountain in Israel — which means vineyard or garden of God. The name was spread by the Carmelite religious order, founded on Mount Carmel in the twelfth century, and by devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In Italy it became strongly associated with the south — particularly Naples, where the Madonna del Carmine is one of the most venerated images of the Virgin Mary. Our Lady of Mount Carmel's feast day, July 16, is one of the great celebrations in Neapolitan and Italian-American communities.

History in Italy

The Carmelite order established monasteries throughout Italy in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, spreading devotion to Our Lady of Carmel. The feast of Madonna del Carmine — still celebrated with the famous 'Inchinata' ritual in Naples — made the name extremely popular in Campania. Neapolitan emigrants brought Carmela with them to New York, Chicago, and other American cities.

Regional Origins

Carmela is quintessentially Neapolitan and Campanian. It is also common throughout the south — Sicily, Calabria, Puglia — but reaches its greatest concentration in the Naples region. A Carmela in an American family tree is a reliable indicator of Campanian origin.

Famous People Named Carmela

Carmela Soprano — the central female character in The Sopranos, a New Jersey Italian-American woman. Carmela Pinto — Italian actress. The name is so strongly associated with Italian-American identity that Tony Soprano's wife could have no other name.

In the Italian Diaspora

Carmela was one of the most common Italian-American female names in the early twentieth century, brought by Neapolitan and southern Italian emigrants. American daughters might be called Carmen or Carol, but the grandmother was always Carmela.