Today the Flello surname can be found in many countries around the globe. There are Flellos in Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom. At one time the name was only found in England. It is an unusual surname and has not always been spelt in it's present form. Variations have been Flellow, Flelloe, Flelowe, Flellor, to name but a few.

Some of the earliest records are in the parish of Bayton in the County of Worcestershire, England. In 1617 Maria Flelowe was baptised, 1631 Anne Flellow a widow was buried and in 1689 Francis Flellow married Elinor Stary. In fact the majority of Flello records are in this county and a visit to the Worcestershire County Records Office is a must for any serious Flello researcher.

By the mid 1600s the name appears in the parish register of Lindridge, Worcestershire. The name stays in this parish for hundreds of years and there are still Flellos living there to this day. As people moved away from the parish to get married or find work the family name spread slowly to other parishes in Worcestershire. Other Parishes include Holt, Pensax and Astley to name but a few. In 1837 a significant event took place. John Henry Flello met a servant girl from Kent. They married and had several children in the village of Lindridge. Ten years later they had moved to Kent and had more children. In all they had 10 children and the Flello name then became established in that part of England. A descendant of the couple who moved away from Worcestershire made his living as a fisherman. In 1891 at the age of 26 he can be found with his wife and child living in the coastal town of Grimsby in the north east of England. James Flello and Francis Mary Hopkin had started the branch of the family in the north east and their descendants are living there to this day.
There are Flellos in Wales, United Kingdom. The family group started when a Thomas Flello and his family moved to Wales from the village of Holt. In the 1901 census Thomas is working as a labourer in an iron foundry. It was a long way from home for the family but in those days workers had to travel to where there was work. South Wales was famous for the production of steel so it attracted workers from all over the country. By the start of the 20th century the name had been in the United Kingdom for at least 400 years. From just a couple of families in Worcestershire it had spread to Kent in the south east, to the north east of England, and into Wales to the west.

Canada.
At the beginning of the 20thC a family from Pensax, Worcestershire, England emigrated to Canada. Albert Henry Flello sailed to Canada in April 1903 shortly followed by his parents Abner Flello and Charlotte Flello and his siblings. Today there are a lot of Flellos in Canada.

Australia.
James Flello from Birmingham, Warwickshire, England arrived in Sydney aboard the 'Abergeldie' in 1884. The crossing had taken 2 months. His wife Leah Flello and children followed 6 months later. Today there are a lot of Flellos in Australia.

Italy.
Recently someone contacted us asking if the origin of the Flello surname was Italian. All the research we have shows that the name originates from Worcestershire, England. However the 1910 New York census has a Flello entry. Here are the details:

Venofano Flello
Age in 1910: 30
Estimated birth year: abt 1880
Birthplace: Italy
Year of Immigration: 1901

So it is possible that the Flello surname comes from Italy. Do you have any information to support this idea?

Occupations.
For many years the Flellos were blacksmiths and wheelwrights. As well as making wheels for carts the wheelwright would have been very skillfull with working in wood. In the parish of Lindridge, Worcestershire, England there is an account for the village wheelwright dated 3rd October 1801:

"A Bill for a pair of Stocks made by Wm Flello last year           £0:14s: 6p"

Some years later in the same village there is an account dated 11th September 1819:

"Paid John Flelloe a Bill for Blacksmiths Work           £3:11s: 2p"

The blacksmith and the wheelwright very often worked alongside each other. As it happens the above William Flello and John Flelloe were father and son. To find your relative's accounts like the ones above it is always worth looking in the Church Accounts.

The Spanish Armarda and Llewellin.
My father told me that our surname of Flello originated from a shipwrecked sailor of the Spanish Armarda. I have spoken to other distantly related family members and they have been told the same thing. It's a great story and it's interesting that the same story is being passed on. I have not found any proof though. I have also read that the origin of the Flello surname is from the Welsh surname of Llewellin. Nothing I have found supports that theory so I do not think that anyone can be certain of this. What we can be certain of is that we are all direct descendants of Francis Flello and Elinor Stary who married 1689 in Bayton, Worcestershire, England.

This history of the Flello surname is based on my own researches. If you would like to make any additions then send them to me and I will include them on this website.

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