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ArchivesThe meaning of the surnames Sarco and Sarcos.
Hello everyone,
Sarco and Sarcos are both surnames that are frequently found in Latin America. If Facebook can serve as any indication, Sarcos is most often found in Venezuela, while Sarco doesn't seem to have a specific country where it occurs most often. Sarco is really found all over Latin America, as I have seen bearers from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.
Out of the two, Sarco also occurs as a masculine first name. However, these men's parents probably were not inspired by the surname when they named their sons Sarco - rather, they were probably inspired by the Spanish word zarco meaning "light blue". Looking at Facebook, I also do see men with Zarco as a first name (from Colombia and Venezuela), but it seems to be far less common as a first name than Sarco is.
Now, I am wondering about the meaning and etymology of the surnames Sarco and Sarcos. Are both surnames even etymologically related to each other, with perhaps one being a variant form of the other? If they are, are they - like Sarco as a first name - probably derived from Spanish zarco meaning "light blue"? I certainly can find both Zarco and Zarcos as a surname on Facebook (again in Latin America), in which case Sarco and Sarcos would then be variant spellings of Zarco and Zarcos.
Or, could there instead be a relation with Latin sarcio meaning "to patch, botch, mend, repair, restore, make good"? Or maybe even with Greek σαρκίς (sarkis) meaning "meat, flesh"?
I guess I'm just looking for more certainty about these surnames. I know there's a comprehensive dictionary of Spanish surnames out there - if any of you happens to have it handy, would you mind looking up those surnames in it for me? It would be very much appreciated! :)
Thank you very much in advance,
Lucille
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
Sarco and Sarcos are both surnames that are frequently found in Latin America. If Facebook can serve as any indication, Sarcos is most often found in Venezuela, while Sarco doesn't seem to have a specific country where it occurs most often. Sarco is really found all over Latin America, as I have seen bearers from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.
Out of the two, Sarco also occurs as a masculine first name. However, these men's parents probably were not inspired by the surname when they named their sons Sarco - rather, they were probably inspired by the Spanish word zarco meaning "light blue". Looking at Facebook, I also do see men with Zarco as a first name (from Colombia and Venezuela), but it seems to be far less common as a first name than Sarco is.
Now, I am wondering about the meaning and etymology of the surnames Sarco and Sarcos. Are both surnames even etymologically related to each other, with perhaps one being a variant form of the other? If they are, are they - like Sarco as a first name - probably derived from Spanish zarco meaning "light blue"? I certainly can find both Zarco and Zarcos as a surname on Facebook (again in Latin America), in which case Sarco and Sarcos would then be variant spellings of Zarco and Zarcos.
Or, could there instead be a relation with Latin sarcio meaning "to patch, botch, mend, repair, restore, make good"? Or maybe even with Greek σαρκίς (sarkis) meaning "meat, flesh"?
I guess I'm just looking for more certainty about these surnames. I know there's a comprehensive dictionary of Spanish surnames out there - if any of you happens to have it handy, would you mind looking up those surnames in it for me? It would be very much appreciated! :)
Thank you very much in advance,
Lucille
"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold." ~ Frodo Baggins
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Replies
The only name that appears in the Diccionario de apellidos españoles is Zarco which means 'light blue (eyes)'. The other three names could very well be variants but I have no direct evidence of this.
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Thank you for your response, Marc! It helps to know that the derivation from zarco "light blue" is indeed the case (at least when it comes to the Zarco surname), to have that certainty. :)
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There is also an Italian origin of the surname Sarco, as many Sarco immigrants from Italy came to the U.S. Perhaps the etymology of the Italian surname Sarco is not from the spanish zarco, but of another origin. That, I'm not certain, but I'll research more into it.
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