Carnevale Family History

Italian: from carnevale ‘festival’ (from carnelevare ‘fast’ literally ‘removal of meat’; it was the normal practice to have a riotous carnival before a period of solemn fast such as Lent and this gradually acquired a greater significance than the fast itself and usurped the meaning of the word).

This was sometimes used as a personal name (Italian Varnevale also Carlevario; Latin Carnelevarius) probably bestowed on someone born at the time of a carnival or a nickname for someone with a particularly festive spirit.