Family name origins & meanings
- Italian : habitational name from any of the numerous places so called, from Latin villa nova ‘new settlement’, as for example Villanova del Battista (Avellino), Villanova Del Ghebbo and Villanova Marchesanda (Rovigo), Villanova di Camposampiero (Padua), Villanova d’Albenga (Savona).
- Spanish : Castilianized spelling of Catalan and Galician Vilanova (see Villanueva). However, the lack of associated Spanish forenames indicates that this source has not contributed greatly to the American surname.