Origin
Leon : 1: Spanish (León): habitational name from León a city in northwestern Spain named with Latin legio genitive legionis ‘legion’ a division of the Roman army. In Roman times the city was the garrison of the 7th Legion known as the Legio Gemina. The city's name became shortened from Legion(em) to Leon(em) and in this form developed an unetymological association with the word for ‘lion’ (Spanish león).2: French (Léon) and Spanish (León): from the personal name Léon León from Latin leo ‘lion’ or the cognate Greek leōn. The name Leo(n) was borne by numerous early Christian martyrs and thirteen popes.3: Spanish (León): nickname for a fierce or brave warrior from león ‘lion’.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 梁 see Liang 1.
Aceves : Spanish: habitational name from Acebes del Páramo in León named with acebo ‘holly’.
Almanza : Spanish: habitational name from a place in León named Almanza.
Ardon : 1: Hispanic (mainly Honduras El Salvador and Guatemala; Ardón): habitational name from Ardón in León province Spain. Compare Dardon 1.2: French and Dutch (of French origin): from the ancient Germanic personal name Hardo a pet form of a name based on the element hard ‘hard strong’ (compare Ardoin).3: French: habitational name from any of several places called Ardon e.g. in Jura from Gaulish Aredunum (composed of are ‘in front of’ + dunum ‘hill’). Compare Dardon 2.
Astorga : Spanish: habitational name from the ancient city of Astorga in León named in Latin Asturica. Compare Ostorga.
Balbuena : Spanish: habitational name from either of two places called Valbuena (‘pleasant valley’) in the provinces of Asturias and Léon. Compare Balboa.
Baldeon : Spanish (Baldeón): variant of Valdeón a habitational name from the valley of Valdeón in León or from any of several places in it mainly the town of Posada de Valdeón.
Barrientos : Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from a place in León named Barrientos from an unattested adjective meaning ‘loamy’.
Benavides : Spanish: habitational name from a place so called in León probably reflecting the name of the ancient owner composed with Arabic ben ‘son’ and the personal name ʿAbidis.
Berlanga : Spanish: habitational name from a place so named in Badajoz province or from Berlanga de Duero in Soria or Berlanga del Bierzo in León.
Buron : 1: French: status name or topographic name from Old French buron ‘hut cottage’ a derivative of ancient Germanic būr ‘hut’ or a habitational name from (Le) Buron the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France.2: Spanish (Burón): habitational name from Burón in León.
Cabreros : Spanish: habitational name from either of two places in León called Cabreros or a topographic name formed with the plural of cabrero ‘goat herder’.
Canseco : Spanish: habitational name from Canseco in Cármenes in León.
Cantoral : Spanish: habitational name from a place called Cantoral in León.
Castrillo : Spanish: habitational name from any of various places especially in León named Castrillo from castrillo ‘fort’ a diminutive of Castro.
Cea : 1: Spanish Galician and Portuguese: habitational name from any of the places called Cea in León in Ourense and A Coruña Galicia and in Portugal.2: Italian: probably from a short form of a feminine personal name ending in -(c)ea.
Coito : Portuguese and Spanish: possibly a topographic name from coito a variant of couto ‘enclosed pasture’ (see Couto). In Spain this name is found mainly in Asturias and León (Zamora).
Cuadros : Spanish: habitational name from Cuadros in León or from Los Cuadros in Asturias.
De Leon : 1: Spanish (De León): habitational name a variant of León (see Leon) with the preposition de.2: French (Deléon): patronymic from the personal name Léon (see Leon).
Diazdeleon : Spanish: combination of the surname Díaz (see Diaz) and the name León (see Leon) with the preposition de ‘of’.
Facundo : Spanish and Portuguese: from the personal name Facundo (from Latin facundus ‘talkative eloquent’). This was the name of a 4th-century Christian martyr of León who is commemorated in the placename San Facundo.
Ferdinand : German French English and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from an ancient Visigothic personal name composed of the elements farthu ‘journey expedition’ (or a metathesized form of frithu ‘peace’) + nanths ‘daring brave’. As a surname this is of comparatively recent origin in German-speaking countries and in France for the personal name was not introduced from Spain (see Fernando) until the late 15th century. It was brought to Austria by the Habsburg dynasty among whom it was a hereditary name and from Austria it spread to France. Iberian cognates are of more ancient origin and more frequently found today since the name was much favored in the royal house of Castile. It owes its popularity in large part to King Ferdinand III of Castile and León (1198–1252) who recaptured large areas of Spain from the Moors and was later canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Fierros : Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from a place called Los Fierros (from the plural of Fierro) in Léon.
Fuentes : Spanish: topographic name from the plural of fuente ‘spring well’ (see Fuente) or a habitational name from any of numerous places called with fuentes as for example Fuentes (Cuenca Albacete and Segovia provinces) Fuentes Calientes (Teruel) Fuentes de León (Badajoz) Fuentes de Valdepero (Palencia).
Herro : Spanish: habitational name from a place called Hierro in León so named from hierro ‘iron’.
Jano : 1: Slovak and Czech: from a pet form of the personal name Jan (Slovak Ján) ‘John’.2: Spanish: habitational name from a hill so named in León.3: Assyrian/Chaldean: from a personal name based on Persian ḡān ‘soul life’.4: Albanian: from a pet form of the personal name Jani ‘John’.
Jarrin : 1: Spanish (mainly León and Zamora; Jarrín): probably a nickname from a diminutive of jarra ‘pitcher’.2: French: probably a derivative of Old Occitan garra ‘(earthenware) jar for oil’ (jarre in French); see Jarret 2.
Leandro : Italian and Spanish: from the personal name Leandro Greek Leandros which is composed of the elements leōs an Attic variant of laos ‘people army’ or leōn ‘lion’ + anēr (genitive andros) ‘man’. In Greek legend Leander is the name of a hero who swam across the Hellespont every night to visit his beloved Hero and back again in the morning but was eventually drowned during a violent storm. The name was also borne by a 6th-century Christian saint who was a leading ecclesiastical figure of his day a friend of Gregory the Great and became archbishop of Seville.
Lenkiewicz : Polish: patronymic from the personal name Lenek a pet form of Lenart (see Leonard) or Leon ‘lion’ (see Leon).
Leo : 1: Italian (southern): nickname for a fierce or brave warrior from Latin leo ‘lion’.2: Italian: from a short form of the personal name Pantaleo.3: Jewish: from the personal name Leo (from Latin leo ‘lion’) borrowed from Christians as an equivalent of Hebrew Yehuda (see Leib 1).4: English: from the Old French personal name Leon ‘lion’ (see Lyon).5: Spanish: from a variant of the personal name León (see Leon).6: Dutch: from Latin leo ‘lion’ applied either a nickname for a strong or fearless man or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a lion; or alternatively from a personal name of the same derivation.7: French (Léo): variant of Léon (see Leon).8: German: Latinized (humanistic) form of Löwe (see Lowe 2).9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 廖 (see Liao) 梁 (see Liang 1) 劉 and 柳 (see Liu 1-2).
Leones : Spanish (Leonés): habitational name for someone from León from an adjectival form of the placename.
Leonguerrero : Spanish: nickname from león guerrero ‘warrior leon’.
Leonides : Hispanic (Leónides; Mexico): from the personal name Leónides from Greek Leonidēs itself most likely a patronymic derivative of Leōn (from leōn ‘lion’; see Leon) + the suffix -(e)ides.
Leonti : Italian (Sicily): from the Greek personal name or nickname Leon Leontos ‘lion’ (equivalent of Latin Leo Leonis; see Leon 2).
Lillo : 1: Italian: from a short form of various personal names formed with the hypocoristic suffix -lillo as for example Jacolillo or Paolillo.2: Spanish: habitational name from the town of Lillo in Toledo from Lillo in Oviedo (Asturias) or from Lillo del Bierzo in León.
Luna : 1: Spanish and Jewish (Sephardic): habitational name from any of the places called Luna in Zaragoza Araba/Álava and León provinces. Compare De Luna.2: Jewish (Sephardic): from the female personal name Luna (Spanish luna ‘moon’).
Lyon : 1: Scottish English and French: from the personal name Middle English Lyon Old French Leon (from Latin leo ‘lion’ or the cognate Greek leōn; see Leon). Compare Lyall.2: Scottish and English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Lyons-la-Forêt in Eure Normandy. It is unlikely to be from the better-known southern French city of Lyon (see 5 below).3: English and French: nickname from Middle English lioun ‘lion’ (Old English Latin leo) Old French leon perhaps applied to a brave fierce or proud person or one with a shaggy mane of hair. Compare Lion.4: Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Laighin (see Lane 2).5: French: habitational name from the city of Lyon in south central France (or in some cases from the commune of Lyons-la-Forêt in Eure Normandy; compare 2 above). The name of the city of Lyon is recorded in the 1st century BC as Lugdunum and is from the name of a Celtic god Lug (or this as a personal name from a word meaning ‘brightness’) + dunon ‘hill fort’.6: Altered form of Dutch De Leeuw.
Mallo : 1: Italian (Sicily): from Italian mallo ‘soft blanket’ Sicilian maddu (from Latin mallus ‘tuft of wool’ from Greek mallos ‘fleece’) presumably a nickname for someone with curly hair.2: Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from a place called Mallo in León (probably from mallo ‘threshing flail mallet’).
Mancilla : 1: Spanish: from mancilla ‘mole birthmark’ or ‘blot stain’ (from Latin manucella) hence a nickname for someone with a blemish on his skin or his character.2: Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from Mancilla a village in León northern Spain.
Marana : 2: Italian: from the female personal name Marana of Latin origin.1: Italian: habitational name from a place called Marana of which there are several examples in Italy.3: Spanish (Maraña): habitational name from a place called Maraña in León named with maraña ‘thicket brushwood’.4: Indian (Kerala): from the name of the Malayali custom of marana kriyakal meaning ‘killing of enemies’.
Matallana : Spanish: habitational name from a place called Matallana in León and Guadalajara provinces composed of mata ‘shrub’ + llana ‘flat’.
Mazo : 1: Spanish: nickname for a forceful person or metonymic occupational name for someone who used a mallet mazo.2: Galician and Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from any of a number of places so named in Galicia (Spain) Asturias (Spain) and León.3: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant of Maze.
Mena : 1: Spanish: habitational name from Mena a place in Castile and León provinces.2: Italian: from the female personal name Mena a short form of Filomena (see Filomeno) or Domenica (see Domenico).3: In some cases possibly also Greek feminine (and American shortened) form of Menas.
Mora : 1: Spanish and Portuguese; Catalan (also Móra): topographic name for someone who lived where mulberries grew from mora ‘mulberry’ (from Late Latin mora originally the plural of Latin morum); or a habitational name from any of the places called (La) Mora for example in the Spanish provinces of Albacete León Navarre and Toledo. Compare Spanish De la Mora 1 and Lamora.2: French (southern); Catalan (Morà): from a short form of the medieval Latin personal name Morandus (see Morand 1).3: Italian: topographic name from Old Italian mora ‘pile of stones’.4: Hungarian (Móra): from a pet form of the personal name Móricz Hungarian form of Morris.5: Czech and Polish: from a short form of a personal name such as Czech Mauric or Polish Maurycy derived from Latin Mauritius (see Morris).6: Polish: possibly an unflattering nickname from mora ‘sickness plague’.7: Czech: possibly an unflattering nickname from mora ‘vampire’.
Morla : 1: Spanish: habitational name from a place called Morla de la Valdería in León.2: Catalan (Morlà): nickname from morlà ‘lenient gentle’ from Latin modulanus ‘soft-spoken’. Alternatively from French Morland.3: Indian (Andhra Pradesh): habitational name from a shortened form of the name of Moralavarpalem village in Guntur district.
Natera : Spanish: probably from natera ‘earthen bowl used to separate cream from milk’ a dialect word in León or perhaps from natero ‘wet earth for cultivation’ a term used in the Canary Islands. This surname is most common in Venezuela.
Omana : Spanish (Omaña): habitational name from a historic region in León or from any of several places called with Omaña as Lago de Omaña Posada de Omaña and Las Omañas.
Ordas : Spanish (Ordás): habitational name from Santa María de Ordás in León.
Pantaleo : Italian: from the personal name Pantaleo from Greek Pantaleōn from pas ‘all’ genitive pantos + leōn ‘lion’. In the original Greek form Panteleēmōn (from pas ‘all’ genitive pantos + eleēmōn ‘merciful’) it was the name borne by a Christian saint said to have been martyred under Diocletian Nicomedia. He is the patron of physicians having apparently been one himself. He was honored in the Eastern Church as early as the 5th century but his cult did not reach the Western Church until the 11th century when he was adopted as the patron saint of Venice. In the 14th century the Italian name Pantaleone came to be used for a character in the Harlequinade a foolish old Venetian and in some later cases the surname may have arisen as a nickname for someone who played the part of this character. It was from his prototypical costume that the term pantaloon came to be used to denote a type of loose-fitting breeches whence the modern English word pants.
Parada : Galician Asturian-Leonese and Portuguese: habitational name from any of numerous places called Parada predominantly in Galicia (Spain) but also in Asturias (Spain) León and northern Portugal.
Paramo : Spanish and Galician (Páramo): habitational name from any of numerous places called Paramo in particular those in the provinces of Lugo (Galicia) Léon Palencia and Burgos from páramo ‘wasteland bare plateau’.
Ponce de Leon : Spanish (Ponce de León): compound of the surname Ponce + the habitational name León (see Leon).
Quinones : Spanish and Asturian-Leonese (Quiñones): habitational name from any of the places called Quiñones in León and Murcia provinces so named from quiñón (from Latin quinio ‘group of five’ genitive quinionis a derivative of quinque ‘five’) denoting a piece of land that was shared out among a group of five co-tenants for sowing.
Rabanal : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places called Rabanal especially in León and Palencia from rabanal ‘field planted with radishes’.
Riano : 1: Spanish (Riaño): habitational name from any of the places so named in Cantabria.2: Asturian-Leonese (Riaño): Castilianized form of a habitational name from Riañu in León and Asturias (Spain).3: Italian (mainly Campania): habitational name from Riano in Rieti province (Lazio).4: Italian (mainly Campania): from the personal name Riano a short form of names ending in -riano such as Valeriano.
Robles : Spanish: topographic name from the plural of roble ‘oak’ or a habitational name from Los Robles in León named from the same word. Compare De Robles.
Sahagun : Spanish (Sahagún): habitational name from Sahagún a town in León named from Latin Sanctus Facundus.
Salaices : Spanish (mainly Guadalajara): perhaps a variant of Sahelices (mainly León) a habitational name from a place in Cuenca province meaning Saint Felix.
Silvano : Italian and Spanish (mainly León): from the personal name Silvano from Latin Silvanus (a derivative of silva ‘forest wood’) bestowed in honor of various minor early Christian saints. This surname is also found in the Philippines.
Toral : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places in Asturias and León in Spain named (El) Toral possibly of pre-Roman origin but it could also be derived from toro ‘bull’ in the sense of ‘bull pasture’.
Urdiales : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places called Urdiales in particular Urdiales del Páramo in León and Castro Urdiales in Cantabria named with a derivative of Basque urda ‘field’.
Valderas : Spanish: habitational name from any of the three places so called especially one in León probably named with valle valley and the plural of era ‘threshing floor’. Compare Balderas and Balderaz.
Vallecillo : Spanish: habitational name from Vallecillo in León or El Valecillo in Teruel a diminutive of Spanish valle ‘valley’.
Vallejo : Spanish: habitational name from any of various places in Burgos León and Cantabria named Vallejo from a diminutive of valle ‘valley’. Compare Ballejo.
Villacorta : Spanish: habitational name from either of two places called Villacorta in Segovia and León.
Villafane : Spanish (Villafañe): habitational name from Villafañe a place in Léon province named from villa ‘(outlying) farmstead (dependent) settlement’ (see Villa) + an old personal name.
Villamizar : Spanish: habitational name from Villamizar in León.
Villamor : Spanish:: 1: habitational name from any of several places called Villamor especially in Zamora but also in León from villa ‘(outlying) farmstead (dependent) settlement’ (see Villa) + the Latin ethnic name Maurus ‘Moor North African’ (see Moro).2: Castilianized form of Galician Vilamor a habitational name from any of the towns so named in Lugo and A Coruña provinces Galicia (Spain).
Viloria : 1: Spanish: habitational name from any of the places called Viloria in Lugo (Galicia) and León.2: Basque: Castilianized form of a habitational name from either of two places in Araba/Álava and Navarre provinces (Basque Country Spain) named Biloria (in Castilian: Viloria).
Yebra : Spanish: habitational name from any of the three places called Yebra (in León Guadalajara and Huesca) especially the one in León. The placename is of pre-Roman origin.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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