Cabeza De VacaSpanish Literally translates to "cow's head" or "head of a cow". It is likely an occupational name for someone who was associated with cows or cattle, perhaps as a rancher or butcher. Alternatively, it could also have been used to describe someone with a thick-headed or stubborn personality.
ApolloItalian, Spanish From the Greek personal name Apollo. There are several saints Apollo in the Christian Church, including an Egyptian hermit and monastic leader who died in 395 ad. The personal name derives from the name in classical mythology of the sun god, Apollo, an ancient Indo-European name, found for example in Hittite as Apulana "god of the gate" (from pula "gate", cognate with Greek pylē), therefore "protector, patron".
SanxSpanish A variation of the surname Sáenz, derived from the popular medieval given name Sancho. This given name was originally derived from the Latin name Sanctius a derivative of the Latin word 'sanctus', meaning 'holy'... [more]
CanalesSpanish Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Canales, from canales, plural of canal ‘canal’, ‘water channel’, from Latin canalis.
PonceSpanish, English The Ponce name was carried into England after the migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066.'Ponce' is derived from 'Ponsoby',a place in Cumberland, where the family settled. The Ponce motto is 'Pro rege, lege grege' meaning "For the King, law, and people"
GalanteItalian, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Jewish Means "gallant, courteous, chivalrous; romantic" in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, both derived from French galant "gentlemanly" or "flirtatious, amorous". In the case of Mordecai Galante, a Spanish exile in 16th century Rome, his courteous manners won for him from the Roman nobles the surname Galantuomo, meaning "gentleman" in Italian, from which Galante was eventually derived.... [more]
MalagónSpanish Habitational name from Malagón, a place in Ciudad Real, or in some cases, from other place so named in Galicia, in Lugo province.
BermejoSpanish Originally a nickname for a man with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Spanish bermejo "reddish, ruddy" (itself from Latin vermiculus "little worm", from vermis "worm", since a crimson dye was obtained from the bodies of worms).
ArenzanaSpanish It indicates familial origin within either of 2 La Riojan municipalities: Arenzana de Abajo or Arenzana de Arriba.
PiñeroSpanish Castilianized from the Portuguese surname Pinheiro, meaning "pine-tree"
SolorioSpanish This indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the Sierra de Solorio mountain range that straddles Aragon, La Mancha, & Old Castile.
MontemayorSpanish Habitational name from any of several places called Montemayor, from monte meaning "mountain" + mayor meaning "main", "larger", "greater", in particular in the provinces of Cordova, Salamanca, and Valladolid.
DzulMayan Mayan name from a term meaning ‘stranger’ also ‘gentleman’.
BarcelonaCatalan, Spanish Habitational name from Barcelona, the principal city of Catalonia. The place name is of uncertain, certainly pre-Roman, origin. The settlement was established by the Carthaginians, and according to tradition it was named for the Carthaginian ruling house of Barca; the Latin form was Barcino or Barcilo.
PríncipeItalian, Spanish From principe "prince, heir" (Latin princeps, genitive principis, from primus "first" and capere "to take"), applied probably as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or for someone in the service of a prince.
MesaSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in Spain called Mesa meaning "table" or "mesa" in Spanish (referring to a flat area of land).
De PaulaSpanish a Metronymic from the female personal name Paula and from a shortened form of Francisco de Paula a personal name bestowed in honor of Saint Francis of Paola
GaleaSpanish, Italian, Maltese From Spanish galea "galleon, warship" presumably a metonymic occupational name for a shipwright or a sailor. Italian habitational name from Galea in Calabria.
EstremeraSpanish Spanish: habitational name from a place in Madrid province called Estremera.
CespedesSpanish From the plural of cesped "peat", "turf" (Latin caespes, genitive caespitis), applied as a habitational name from a place named Céspedes (for example in Burgos province) or named with this word, or a topographic name for someone who lived by an area of peat, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for someone who cut and sold turf.
MontoroSpanish, Italian A Spanish habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular those in Córdoba or Teruel provinces. Italian habitational name from any of the places called Montoro in particular Montoro Inferiore and Montoro Superiore in Avellino province.
CasavantesFrench, Spanish, Basque Topographic name composed of casa "house" + avant "ahead of forward" + the suffix -es, denoting one who lived in the house located at the beginning of a village. This surname has died out in France.
BocanegraSpanish Spanish: nickname from boca ‘mouth’ + negra ‘black’, denoting a foul-mouthed or abusive person. In the form Boccanegra, this surname has also been long established in Italy.
SobalvarroSpanish Sobalvarro/Sobalbarro is a surname with known origins in the Iberian Peninsula. The first record of the name appears in the Basque regions of Spain. The name was purportedly constructed by combining the family name of Soba with the newly given Christian name, Alvarro.
AldeaSpanish Topographic name meaning "village, hamlet" in Spanish, ultimately from Arabic الضيعة (ad-day'a).
ConcepciónSpanish Means "conception'' in Spanish, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary.
FragosoPortuguese, Spanish Means "rocky, rough, uneven" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin fragosus. It was originally a habitational name from any of various places called Fragoso.
MarulandaSpanish topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with maru 'Moor' + landa '(large) field prairie'.
EstesWelsh, Spanish, English a popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
ValdiviaSpanish Topographic or habitational name based on Spanish val, valle meaning "valley". A notable bearer was Pedro de Valdivia (died 1553), a Spanish conquistador who conquered Chile with a small expedition corps after he served under Francisco Pizarro in Peru... [more]
HerediaSpanish Habitational name from any of various places in Basque Country called Heredia, probably derived from Latin heredium meaning "hereditary estate".
DuqueSpanish, Portuguese Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Duke. from duque "duke" (from Latin dux genitive ducis "leader") an occupational name for someone who worked in the household of a duke or as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces.
MartilloSpanish From the Spanish word "martillo" which means hammer. Occupational name for a user or maker of hammers.
AràbiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic name for someone from Arabia or some other Arabic-speaking country or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries.
OcónSpanish This indicates familial origin within either the eponymous Riojan municipality or the Ocón de Villafranca neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Villafranca Montes de Oca.
CalihuaNahuatl Meaning uncertain, possibly related to calli "house".
ValezSpanish I think it is of Spanish Background possibly meaning 'Soldier' or 'Guard'. ... [more]
SampedroSpanish, Galician, Portuguese habitational name from any of several places especially in Galicia so named for a local church or shrine dedicated to Saint Peter; variant of San Pedro.
TejeroSpanish Occupational Spanish surname for a tiler, its origin may be in Saragossa, Spain. A famous bearer is Antonio Tejero, a Lieutenant Colonel who was responsible for the 23-F coup attempt.
ArjonaSpanish Habitational name from Arjona in Jaén province.
AgüeroSpanish In Spanish, "agüero" can mean "(bad/good) omen" or "something from which omens are drawn", and it can also be a habitational name from places in Spain named Agüero.
TafollaSpanish Possibly a derivative of southern Spanish tafulla, tahulla, a term denoting a measure of land. The surname is not found in present-day Spain.
SevilleSpanish, English a city in southwestern Spain; a major port and cultural center; the capital of bullfighting in Spain. Synonyms: Sevilla Example of: city, metropolis, urban center. a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts... [more]
PinoSpanish, Galician, Italian Spanish and Galician habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) named Pino from pino "pine" or a topographic name for someone who lived by a remarkable pine tree. Italian habitational name from Pino d'Asti in Asti province Pino Torinese in Torino or Pino Solitario in Taranto all named with pino "pine’... [more]
AldaiaBasque, Spanish From the name of a municipality in Valencia, Spain, probably derived from Arabic الضيعة (ad-day'a) meaning "the village" (compare Aldea).
ÁlamoSpanish, Portuguese Either a topographic name from álamo "poplar" or a habitational name from any of several places in Spain and Portugal named with this word.
VerdeItalian, Spanish, Portuguese From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
CarbajalSpanish, Judeo-Spanish Probably a habitational name denoting someone originally from any of the multiple locations called Carbajal in León, Asturias, or Zamora in Spain. Alternatively, it may be of pre-Roman origin from the word carbalio meaning "oak", denoting someone who either lived near an oak tree or who was like an oak tree in some way.... [more]
PersiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Persia (modern-day Iran) or some other country with Persian-speaking peoples or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries (see the given name Persis)... [more]
SeminarioSpanish (Latin American) Means "seminar" in Spanish, likely denoting an academic person. Miguel Grau Seminario (1834-1879) was the most renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the naval battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific
Pardo De TaveraSpanish (Rare, Archaic) In the case of Filipino physician Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925), he came from a Portuguese aristocratic family of Pardo from Tavira (a town in Portugal). The family added the name de Tavera, meaning "of Tavira" to affix their place of origin, similar to Spanish noble customs... [more]
MandujanoSpanish Spanish: Possibly An Altered Form Of A Basque Habitational Name From Mandoiana A Town In Araba/Álava Province Basque Country. This Surname Is Most Common In Mexico.
ArmasSpanish Occupational name for an arms maker or soldier, from Spanish armas meaning "arms, weapons".
ValencianoSpanish A Spanish surname. It is a regional name denoting someone from Valencia.
FerrandoItalian, Spanish This surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a nickname (thus making it a descriptive surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval masculine given name Ferrando, which was in use in both Italy and Spain during the Middle Ages... [more]
PozosSpanish, Galician A habitational name from any of several places named with the plural of pozo, meaning ‘well’. See Pozo.
CarrasquilloSpanish The surname Carrasquillo is of Spanish origin and it is derived from the word "carrasca" which means "holm oak". Therefore, the name roughly translates to "a place where there are holm oaks".
BecerraSpanish, Galician Nickname probably for a high-spirited person from becerra "young cow, heifer". It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a cowherd.
CarreraSpanish, Italian Spanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road, carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin carraria (via), a derivative of carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.... [more]
ViniegraSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Riojan municipalities in the Comarca of Anguiano: Viniegra de Arriba or Viniegra de Abajo.