Last names linked to de la

Origin

Abella : 1: Catalan Galician and Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Abella in Catalonia Galicia and Cantabria (Spain) notably Abella de la Conca in Catalonia.2: Catalan and Galician: from abella ‘bee’ hence a nickname for a small active person or perhaps an occupational name for a beekeeper.3: Galician (Abellá): habitational name from the placename Abellá in A Coruña province Galicia (Spain).4: Catalan (Abellà): variant of Avellà (see Avella).5: Italian (mainly Sicily): variant of Avella or possibly from a rare feminine form of the Biblical name Abele (see Abel). The surname may also be of Spanish or Catalan origin (see above).

Aguilar : 1: Spanish and Catalan: habitational name from any of numerous places called Aguilar from Latin aquilare ‘haunt of eagles’ (a derivative of aquila ‘eagle’) for example Aguilar de Campo in Palencia Aguilar de la Frontera in Córdoba and Aguilar de Segarra in Catalonia. Compare Aquilar.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Iberian surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Asuncion : Spanish (Asunción): from a short form of the Marian name María de la Asunción or title Nuestra Señora de la Asunción ‘Our Lady of the Assumption’ from asunción ‘assumption’. The surname may also be a reference to a local church dedicated to the Virgin Mary bearing this title.

Badillo : Spanish: topographic name from a diminutive of vado ‘ford’ (from Latin vadum) or a habitational name from either of two places called with this word Vadillo de la Guarena in Zamora province or Vadillo de la Sierra in Ávila.

Battle : 1: English (of Norman origin): from Old French de la bataile ‘(man) of the battle-array; warrior’. This name was taken to Scotland by a family from Umfreville France in the early 13th century.2: Irish (Sligo and Mayo): adopted for Mac Concatha ‘son of Cú Chatha’ a personal name meaning ‘hound of battle’ (where con is genitive of cú ‘hound’ + cath ‘battle’).

Bazelais : Haitian: shortened from the French surname Rucher de La Bazelais of which the second part could be ultimately derived as a name of domain from an old variant of the personal name Basile.

Becerril : Spanish: habitational name from any of several places so named for example Becerril in Segovia Becerril de Campos in Palencia and Becerril de la Sierra in Madrid. The placename means ‘cowshed’.

Bonilla : Spanish: habitational name from Bonilla in Cuenca province or Bonilla de la Sierra in Ávila province.

Brow : 1: English: either a descriptive nickname for someone with bushy or otherwise distinctive eyebrows from Middle English broue ‘eyebrow eyelid forehead’ (Old English brū) but more likely a topographic name for someone who lived at the brow of a hill from a transferred use of the same word; surnames of the type de la Browe are recorded from the end of the 13th century.2: Altered form of French Brault and also of American French Breaux. Compare Bro and Broe.3: Americanized form of Dutch Brouw: perhaps a nominal variant of Op den Brouw a habitational name for someone living at the ‘Brouw’ a toponym of unclear origin or just a place for beer brewing (Brouw being a shortened form of brouwen ‘to brew’ or brouwer ‘brewer’).

Camarena : Spanish: habitational name from Camarena in Toledo province or Camarena de la Sierra in Teruel.

Candelaria : Spanish:: 1: habitational name from Candelaria in Las Palmas (Canary Islands) or from any other place which has a celebrated sanctuary dedicated to (Maria de la) Candelaria. The Marian epithet refers to the Catholic feast of the Purification of the Virgin from Latin candela ‘candle’ since on this day candles were blessed by a priest and then lit to invoke the protection of the Virgin Mary.2: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Candelaria (see 1 above).

Castello : 1: Italian: from castello ‘castle fortified building’ (from Late Latin castellum) applied as a topographic name a habitational name from any of numerous places called with this word or a metonymic occupational name for a servant who lived and worked in such a place. Compare Costello.2: Catalan (Castelló): habitational name from any of the places called Castelló as for example Castelló de la Plana one of the main towns in Valencia province (Spain) or Castelló d'Empúries a town in the Catalan district of L'Empordà.3: Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Mac Oisdealbhaigh see Costello.4: English: variant of Castlehow a habitational name from any of the six places called Castlehowe in Westmorland usually recorded very late the earliest being Castle Howe in Kendal (1577) and Castlehowe Scar in Crosby Ravensworth (1629). The form de Castello not infrequent in medieval sources is probably a Latinization of Castle but may have contributed to these names.5: American shortened form of Italian Castellano.6: In some cases possibly also an Americanized form of Slovenian Kastelic or perhaps of some other like sounding surname (compare Costello).

Castellon : Spanish and Catalan: Castilianized form (Castellón) of Catalan Castelló (see Castello) a habitational name from any of the places so named. This Castilianized form is notably applied to Castelló de la Plana a town in Valencia province (Spain).

Cedillo : Spanish: habitational name from Cedillo in Cáceres province Cedillo del Condado in Toledo province or Cedillo de la Torre in Segovia province. Compare Sedillo.

Cendejas : Spanish: habitational name from Cendejas de en Medio or Cendejas de la Torre both in Guadalajara province. Compare Sendejas and Zendejas.

Cerda : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: from cerda ‘bristle hair’ (from Late Latin cirra) apparently a nickname for someone with a prominent tuft of hair. One of the sons of King Alfonso X (1221–84) was known as Fernando de la Cerda.2: Catalan (Cerdà): habitational name cerdà for someone from La Cerdanya a Catalan district in the Pyrenees which is situated partly in Spain and partly in France. Compare Serda.

Coate : 1: English (Somerset): habitational name from any of several places called from Old or Middle English cot(e) ‘cottage’ such as Coat (Somerset) Coate (Wiltshire) or Cote (Oxfordshire). The placenames literally meant ‘the cottage(s) or hut(s)’ hence the medieval surname forms de la Cote atte Cote. It is possible that some of the medieval surnames denoted someone who lived at a particular cottage known as such within a village or one who worked from a hut but a topographic origin is most likely for the modern hereditary surname. Medieval and post-medieval forms of the placename often vacillate between singular and plural versions. See Coates.2: Americanized form of German Koth or some other similar (like-sounding) surname.

Columbia : Altered form of French de la Colombe (see Colombe) a habitational name for someone from a place in France named (La) Colombe.

Concepcion : Spanish (Concepción):: 1: habitational name from any of numerous places called La Concepción (see 2 below).2: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Concepción or title Nuestra Señora de la Concepción ‘Our Lady of the Conception’ from concepción ‘conception’ (from Late Latin conceptio genitive conceptionis) alluding to the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. The surname may also be a reference to a local church dedicated to the Virgin Mary bearing this title (compare 1 above).

De La Cruz : variant of Cruz with the addition of de la ‘of the from the’ meaning ‘of the cross’. Compare D'Cruz.

De la Cour : from Old French de la court denoting someone who lived or worked at a manorial court a courtly retainer. Compare English Court and Delacourt.

De la Cruz : Spanish: from the second element of a personal name formed with the Christian religious epithet de la cruz ‘of the cross’ (see Cruz). This surname is most common in the Philippines where it is usually spelled Dela Cruz and in Mexico. See also Dela.

De la Fe : Spanish: from the Christian religious epithet de la fe ‘of the faith’.

De la Luz : Spanish: from the Christian religious epithet de la luz ‘of the light’ specifically from the second element of the Marian title Nuestra Señora de la Luz ‘Our Lady of the Light’. Compare Luz.

De la Merced : Spanish: from the Christian religious epithet de la merced ‘of the mercy’ specifically from the second element of the Marian title Nuestra Señora de la Merced ‘Our Lady of Mercy’. Compare Merced.

De la Paz : Spanish: from the second element of a personal name formed with the Christian religious (Marian) epithet de la Paz ‘of the peace’ (see Paz). Compare De Paz.

De la Rosa : Spanish: from the Christian religious (Marian) epithet de la rosa ‘of the rose’. Compare La Rosa and Rosa.

Del Real : Spanish: habitational name with the preposition and definite article del ‘from the’ for someone from El Real de la Jara (Seville) or El Real de San Vicente (Toledo); see Real.

Delacourt : apparently a variant of Court with fused Anglo-Norman French de la ‘of or at the’ synonymous with Courtman. Compare the similar Walloon and Huguenot name De la Cour.alternatively an altered form of Dalicote; see Darracott and Dellicott.

Delafield : 1: English (London and Devon) and Irish: of Anglo-Norman origin a habitational name probably for someone from Field in Leigh (Staffordshire) named with Old English feld ‘expanse of open land’. It was evidently known originally as ‘The Field’ whence the partly Anglo-Norman French rendering of the surname as de la Feld ‘of The Field’. In the 15th century in Ireland this surname was increasingly used in its shortened form Field but a branch of the family that had moved back to England in the 14th century retained the French prefix.2: English (North Yorkshire): in North Yorkshire the name seems to have a different origin from 1 above. It could be a nickname from Middle English dil(e) ‘dull stupid’ + Middle English ful foul ‘bird’ (wild or domestic) but the absence of evidence for a Middle English surname with this compound leaves the explanation uncertain. Alternatively it might be a name altered by folk etymology of Delavale the surname of an aristocratic family which from the 11th century held Callerton and Seaton Delaval (in Earsdon on the Northumberland border). The family came from La Val in Marne France and the surname itself is a variant of Laval with fused preposition de.

Delagardelle : French (also De la Gardelle): habitational name with fused preposition de ‘from’ denoting someone from La Gardelle the name of several places in the southern part of France e.g. in Haute-Garonne. This surname is virtually non-existing in France.

Delagrange : French (rarely De la Grange): variant of Lagrange with fused preposition de ‘from’. As a topographic name it means literally ‘from the grange’.

Delahoussaye : French: topographic name for someone who lived by a holly bush or grove from de la houx ‘from the holly’ or a habitational name with fused preposition de ‘from’ denoting someone from a place called La Houssaye named with houx ‘holly’.

Delamar : 1: Scottish (of Norman origin): habitational name from any of numerous places in Normandy Brittany and Maine in France named La Mare (‘the pool’) preceded by the French preposition de ‘of’. Introduced by the Normans the name was later augmented by Huguenot bearers fleeing religious persecution in France and the Low Countries in the 16th century.2: English: possibly a habitational name from Delamere Forest (Cheshire) recorded as foresta de Mara in 1153–60. The name meant ‘(Forest) of the Pool’ (from Anglo-Norman French de la ‘from the’ + Middle English mere ‘pond’ or more ‘marsh moor’) alluding to either Blakemere or Oakmere near Eddisbury and its modern form is attributable to the continuity of the Anglo-French naming practices in written records. However there is no clear evidence of a derived surname from the forest.

Delamere : variant of Mear prefixed with Anglo-Norman French de la referring to one of the English places called Mere (Cheshire Lincs Wilts) Meir (in Caverswall Staffs) or Meare (Somerset). It was a gentry surname.doubtfully perhaps from Delamere Forest (Cheshire) recorded as foresta de Mara in 1153-60 Delamere in 1308 Dalamere in 1517 and Dallamore in 1690. The name meant ‘(Forest) of the Pool’ alluding to either Blakemere or Oakmere near Eddisbury but there is no clear evidence of a surname derived from it.from any of the numerous places in Normandy Brittany and Maine named La Mare (‘the pool’) preceded by the French preposition de ‘of’. This surname is well evidenced among the upper classes in late 11th- to 14th-century England but can be difficult to distinguish from the name in (i). The original form of the name is preserved in Delamare or De la Mare common in the Channel Islands and as a Huguenot family name.

Delaplaine : French (also De la Plaine): topographic name with the preposition and definite article de la ‘from the’ denoting someone dwelling on a flat terrain Old French plain (see Plain); or a habitational name with the preposition de ‘from’ denoting someone from Laplaine or La Plaine names of several places in various parts of France. This surname is rare in France.

Delashmutt : Americanized form of French de la Chaumette (see Shumate). Compare Delashmit.

Delatore : Altered form (also De la Tore) of Spanish De la Torre.

Delaware : English:: 1: (of Norman origin): variant of Warr 1 with fused Old French preposition de and definite article la ‘from the’.2: possibly also a habitational name from a farm called Delaware in Brasted (Kent) said to be named with Old French de la ‘from the’ + Middle English ware ‘weir’ though this seems unlikely. The surname Delaware is virtually non-existing in Britain.

Dellow : probably denoting someone who lived at a place named The Hoo from Old English hōh Middle English Ho ‘hill spur promontory’ (see Howe) prefixed with Anglo-Norman French del or de la (‘of the’ or ‘at the’). The source of the medieval surname cited below is The Hoo in Great Gaddesden (Herts) which is recorded as la Hoo in 1325. The later Dellow family of Great Hormead may have descended from the de la Hoo family of Great Gaddesden but this is unproven. In the modern period the name was sometimes pronounced /dɛlə/ and spelled Deller or Dellar as in Mary Dellar or Dellow 1744 in IGI (Great Hormead Herts). See Deller for more examples. The name may sometimes have been reduced to Hoo Hoe or Howe. Compare Henry Howe 1558 in IGI (Ware Herts) with the 1651 bearer below and Water Howe 1560 in IGI (Bassingbourn Cambs) with Ann Dellow 1793 in IGI (Bassingbourn Cambs) but these could be coincidental occurrences of different family names.

Dollarhide : Irish: possibly an altered form of de la Hyde (see Hyde) which was a prominent surname in Leinster from medieval times onward. Compare Dollahite.

Encarnacion : Spanish (Encarnación): from a Christian religious byname or a female personal name from encarnación ‘incarnation’ (from Latin incarnatio from incarnare ‘to make flesh’ a derivative of caro genitive carnis flesh) forming one of the epithets of the Virgin Mary (María de la Encarnación ‘Mary of the Incarnation’). The surname may also be a reference to a local church dedicated to the Virgin Mary bearing this title.

Estrella : Spanish:: 1: habitational name from any of numerous places called Estrella or from La Estrella in Toledo or perhaps from a house distinguished by the sign of a star from estrella ‘star’ (from Latin stella); possibly also a topographic name for someone who lived at a place from which roads radiated out in a star shape.2: from the female personal name Estrella ‘star’ also used as a short form of the Marian name María de la Estrella ‘Mary of the Star’.

Field : 1: English and Irish: habitational name probably from Field in Leigh Staffordshire. The placename derives from Old English feld ‘flat open country’. In the late 12th century one of Henry II's warrior knights took the surname to Ireland where it often took the semi-Norman French form de la Feld. From the 15th century onward it was increasingly reduced to Field and gave its name to Fieldstown the family's chief seat near Dublin. A branch of the Anglo-Irish family that migrated back to England in the 14th century retained the Normanized form as Delafield.2: English: topographic name for someone who lived by an arable field or an area of open country (Middle English feld).3: Irish: Anglicized form of Feeley through similarity of sound and of Maghery by translation (chiefly in Armagh) from Gaelic An Mhachaire ‘of the field’.4: Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Feld. The surname of Jewish and German origin is also found in Britain.

Gracia : 1: Spanish; Catalan (Gràcia): from a short form of the Christian religious epithet de la Gracia meaning ‘of mercy’ and forming part of the Marian name Maria de la Gracia ‘(Holy) Mary of Grace’ from Spanish gracia Catalan gràcia ‘grace mercy’.2: In some cases possibly also an altered form of Spanish García (see Garcia).

Hay : 1: Scottish and English (northern; of Norman origin): habitational name from any of several places in Normandy called La Haie or La Haye (Old French haie ‘hedge enclosure’ ‘forest for hunting deer and other animals’ a borrowing of the ancient Germanic word haga). Robert de Haia or de la Haye is known to have come from La Haye-du-Puits in Manche; he was the founder of Boxgrove Priory in Sussex (1123) and holder of the Honor of Halnaker (Sussex) and (by marriage) the barony of Kolswein (Lincolnshire). The Norman name was also taken to Ireland where it has since flourished in the county of Wexford as Hay and Hayes. Elsewhere in Ireland the name usually has a native Irish origin see below.2: English: topographic name from Middle English hay(e) heye heghe ‘enclosure’ (Old English (ge)hæg) or ‘forest fenced off for hunting’ (Old French haie); or else a habitational name from a place so called such as Hay (in Herefordshire and Westmorland) or Hey in Scammonden (Yorkshire). It was no doubt sometimes synonymous with Hayward.3: English: nickname for a tall man from Middle English heigh hey high ‘high tall’ (Old English hēah).4: English: from the Middle English personal name Hai(e) either an Anglo-Norman French or a native English name. Old French Hai is recorded in the Latin form Haius in 11th/12th-century Paris and is a pet form of ancient Germanic male names like Hagabert (Old French Haiebert) and Hagabern) which have an element hag- ‘right-handed useful’ as the first element. Alternatively these early surnames may be pet forms of a native Middle English male name like Heymund (Old English Hēahmund) or a female name like Hehild (Old English Hēahhild) which have hēah ‘high’ as the first element. In the late 13th and 14th centuries however it is possible that Hay was a variant of Haw which like Daw and Day was used as a rhyming pet form of Ralph. Compare Dawkins and Dakin and see Haycock.5: Irish: variant of Hayes.6: Spanish: topographic name from haya ‘beech tree’ (ultimately derived from Latin fagus).7: German: occupational name from Middle High German heie ‘guardian custodian’ (see Hayer).8: Dutch: variant of Haye 1. This surname is rare in the Netherlands.9: French: topographic name from the masculine form of Old French haye ‘hedge’ or a habitational name from Les Hays (Jura) or Le Hay (Seine-Maritime).10: Jewish (from the Middle East): from Hebrew ḥay ‘living’ either from a personal name based on this word or a Hebraicized form of some original Ashkenazic surname. Compare Chay and Hai.11: Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic hayy ‘alive’ (see Hai 1).12: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 夏 possibly based on its Teochew or Hokkien pronunciation see Xia.

Hewitt : English:: 1: from the Middle English personal name Hewet Huet Hughet Howet pet forms of Hugh (Middle English Hewe Hue; see Hugh and compare Hew). The spelling Hughet stood for both Huet and the synonymous Huget; see Huggett. This surname has also been established in Ireland since the 14th century.2: habitational name from Hewitts in Chelsfield or Hewitts in Willesborough (both Kent) both named from Old English hīewett ‘cutting’ denoting a place where trees had been cut down. Here there lived families called de la Hewatte (1270) de la hewett (1301) and atte Hewete (1338). The name may also be topographic for someone who lived in a newly made clearing in a wood.

Jaramillo : Spanish: habitational name from either of two places in the Burgos province: Jaramillo de la Fuente or Jaramillo Quemada.

Jerez : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places in the provinces of Badajoz and Cádiz called Jerez. The former now known in full as Jerez de los Caballeros was the birthplace of the explorer Vasco Núñez (c. 1475–1519); the latter Jerez de la Frontera was an important center for the manufacture of sherry (named in English from the place) and brandy.

Killerby : from Killerby in Cayton or Killerby in Catterick (both NR Yorks) a lost Kilwardby in Ashby de la Zouch (Leics) or Killerby in Heighington (Durham). The place-names all derive from the Old Scandinavian personal name Kilvert + Old Scandinavian bȳ ‘farmstead village’.

Lanouette : French: habitational name from La Nouette the name of several places in the northern part of France a diminutive of La Noue (see Lanoue); or perhaps a topographic name shortened from the title sieur de La Nouette. This surname is not found in France.

Lareau : French Canadian: altered form of French De la Raue itself possibly an intermediate altered form of Delarue or alternatively a habitational name for someone from La Roë a place in Mayenne in northwestern France. Compare Laro Laroe Larowe Larreau and Larrow.

Layer : 1: English: habitational name from any of the three places in Essex – Layer Breton Layer de la Haye and Layer Marney – all named from a river name Leire the name of a small stream thought to be from a Celtic word meaning ‘mud’.2: English: nickname or status name from Anglo-Norman French le eyr ‘the heir’. Compare Ayer.3: English: occupational name for a stone layer Middle English leyer leghere; the job of the layer was to position the stones worked by the masons.4: German: habitational name for someone from any of various places called Lay.

Livaudais : French: topographic name shortened from the title sieur de la Livaudais which refers to La Livaudais a place in Loire-Atlantique. This surname is not found in France.

Lond : from Middle English launde ‘glade’ or from one of the place-names derived from it such as Laund (WR Yorks Lancs Leics) or from the abbey of this name (Leics). Ashby de la Launde (Leics) was held by the de la Launde family in the 14th century.

Lundy : 1: Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from any of several places called Lundie for example one near Doune in Perthshire.2: Irish: topographic name from Anglo-Norman French de la Launde ‘of the glade’. Compare Lown 1.3: Americanized form of Norwegian Lunde.

Luz : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: from a short form of a Marian name Spanish María de la Luz Portuguese Maria da Luz ‘Mary of the Light’ or a short form of a surname such as De la Luz (Spanish) or Da Luz (Portuguese).2: German and Swiss German: variant of Lutz.3: Jewish (Israeli): artificial name from Hebrew luz ‘almond’ a translation of Mandel.

Macareno : Spanish: habitational name from the district of Puerta de la Macarena in Seville; the placename is of Arabic origin. The name of the district gave rise to a nickname macareno meaning ‘tough guy braggart’ and this may also be a source of the surname.

Mano : 1: Italian: from the personal name Mano a short form of names like Romano.2: Italian: nickname from mano ‘hand’ (compare 3 below).3: Spanish: probably a short form of the surname De la Mano from mano ‘hand’ literally ‘from or with the hand’.4: Albanian: from a short form of the personal name Emanuel.5: Japanese: written 真野 ‘true field’ also 間野 ‘spacious field’. It is not common in Japan.

Merced : Spanish: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Merced or title Nuestra Señora de la Merced ‘Our Lady of Mercy’ from merced ‘mercy’. The surname may also be a reference to a local church dedicated to the Virgin Mary bearing this title. Compare De la Merced.

Millan : 1: Spanish and Galician (Millán): from Millán a vernacular shortened form of the Latin personal name Aemilianus (see Milian). This was the name of the 6th-century Christian saint Millán (Emiliano) de la Cogolla.2: Galician: in some cases possibly a habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) called Millán from Latin villa Aemiliani ‘villa of Aemilianus’.3: Scottish (Lanarkshire) and Irish (Derry and Down): shortened form of McMillan.

Morena : 1: Spanish: shortened form of De la Morena which either refers to the Sierra Morena or is a metronymic from the feminine form of a nickname from moreno ‘brown’. Compare Moreno.2: Italian (southern): from the feminine form of Moreno.

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.

Moron : 1: Spanish (Morón): habitational name from Morón de Almazán in Soria province or Morón de la Frontera in Seville both of Arabic origin probably denoting a ‘hidden’ place.2: Spanish (Morón): derivative of moro ‘Moor’ (see Moro).3: French: from the Latin personal name Mauronus itself a derivative of Maurus (see Mauro).4: French: possibly also a nickname from Old French moron ‘dreamer’.5: Irish: variant of Moran found chiefly in Lancashire England. This surname is rare in Britain.

Musto : 1: English (Middlesex and Gloucestershire): habitational name from one or more of numerous places with names derived from Old English mōt-stōw ‘meeting-place’ such as Motslow Hill in Stoneleigh (Warwicks) Moustows Manor in Henfield (Sussex) and a lost Mustouwe in Layer de la Haye (Essex).2: Italian: probably from Greek moustos Latin mustus ‘must’ (fermenting wine) hence perhaps a nickname for someone who made wine.

Natividad : Spanish: from the female personal name Natividad ‘nativity Christmas’ from Latin nativitas (genitive nativitatis) ‘birth’ bestowed on a girl who was born at Christmas or with reference to the Marian epithet María de la Natividad.

Navalta : Spanish: probably a topographic name from Sierra de la Nava Alta a mountain range in Aragon (see Nava). This surname no longer exists in Spain; it is common in the Philippines.

Olivero : 1: Spanish and Italian: from the personal name Olivero (see Oliver).2: Italian: from Old Italian olivero which like olivaro was used to denote an olive tree and may also have been applied as a nickname for someone who owned or cultivated olive trees.3: Catalan (Oliveró): topographic name from a diminutive of oliver ‘olive tree’.4: Spanish: habitational name for someone from Oliva de la Frontera in Badajoz province.5: Italian: from the personal name Olivero a variant of Oliviero.

Palos : 1: Spanish: habitational name from Palos de la Frontera the port in Huelva from which it is said Columbus’ ships set sail.2: Hungarian (Pálos): from the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul. The surname Pálos is also found in Slovakia.3: Croatian (Paloš): from a derivative of the Hungarian form of the personal name Paul (see 2 above) or from paloš a word of Hungarian and ultimately of Turkish origin denoting a kind of sabre.

Paz : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: from the Christian religious (Marian) epithet paz ‘peace’ (from Latin pax genitive pacis) forming the names María de la Paz (Spanish) and Maria da Paz (Portuguese). Compare De la Paz.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some Jewish descendants retained the surname that their families had adopted as Roman Catholics.

Phanor : Haitian: from the personal name Phanor borne by the main character in Le Palais de la Vérité (known in English as The Palace of Truth) a play written in 1784 by the French writer Madame de Genlis.

Poveda : Spanish (also Póveda): habitational name from any of the places called Poveda in the provinces of Cuenca Ávila Salamanca and Soria or from Póveda de la Sierra in Guadalajara.

Ramales : Hispanic (Mexico and the Philippines): habitational name from a place called Ramales de la Victoria in Cantabria or Los Ramales in Almería from ramal ‘branch road’.

Rebolledo : Spanish: habitational name from any of various places called Rebolledo for example Rebolledo de la Torre in Burgos from rebollo denoting a species of oak.

Rossell : 1: English (of Norman origin): from the Anglo-Norman French personal name Ros(c)el a diminutive of Rosce (see Ross). Compare the double diminutive Roscelin with which Ro(s)cel or Ros(s)el was probably freely interchangeable.2: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Rosel in Calvados.3: English: variant of Russell with which the name in 1 above was easily confused.4: English: habitational name from Rossall in Poulton Le Fylde (Lancashire). The etymology of the placename may derive from Old Norse hross ‘horse’ + hali ‘tail’ in the sense ‘narrow strip of land’ or from a British word related to Welsh rhos ‘moor heath plain’ + Old English halh ‘nook corner of land’. The land is low-lying and level forming a headland between the Wyre and the sea. The name was easily confused with Russell.5: English: perhaps a habitational name from Rossall (Shropshire) probably from Old English hros ‘horse’ + halh. It is not clear whether this surname has survived into modern times.6: Catalan: nickname for someone with red hair from a diminutive of ros ‘red’.7: Catalan: possibly also a habitational name from Rossell a town in Castelló de la Plana.8: Americanized form of German French Dutch and Flemish Rossel or of its German archaic variant Roszel.

Rueda : Spanish: habitational name from Rueda in Valladolid Rueda de Jalón in Zamora Rueda de la Sierra in Guadalajara or any of the places called La Rueda from Castilian rueda ‘wheel’ Latin rota. Compare Catalan Roda.

Shumate : Americanized form of French de la Chaumette: topographic name for someone who lived on a chaumette a high arid plateau with very little vegetation derived from a diminutive of chaume ‘bare land’ (from a specialized sense of Latin calmus ‘calm unruffled’); or a habitational name from La Chaumette the name of several places in the central part of France. The surname Shumate is also found among African Americans. See also Delashmutt compare Shoemake 1 and Shoemate.

Soledad : Spanish:: 1: habitational name from any of the places called (La) Soledad in northern Spain (see 2 below).2: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Soledad from soledad ‘solitude’.

Souch : from Old French souche ‘tree-stump’ identical in meaning with English Stump. The name may have been brought from some minor French place named La Souche. Compare Ashby de la Zouch in Leics which was held by Roger de la Zuche in 1200 (Feet of Fines).

Supple : 1: Irish (Munster): shortened Anglicized form of Suipéal the Gaelicized form of the Norman topographic name de la Chapelle which was taken to Ireland in the 12th century and became established in the counties of Limerick and Cork.2: German (Süpple): metonymic occupational name for a cook from Middle High German suppe(līn) ‘soup stock meal’.

Talavera : Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Talavera especially Talavera de la Reina in Toledo province.

Vail : 1: English: occupational name from Old French de la veille ‘of the watch watchman’ with loss of de; compare Wake. There has been some confusion with the topographic name Vale and the nickname Veal.2: Scottish: shortened and altered form of McPhail Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Phàil ‘son of Paul’.3: Irish: variant of Veale.

Veil : 1: German: variant of Feigel.2: English: occupational name from Old French de la veille ‘of the watch watchman’ with loss of de. There has been some confusion with the topographic name Vale and the nickname Veal. Compare Wake.3: Jewish (western Ashkenazic): variant of Weil.

Virgen : Spanish: habitational name from any of numerous places called (La) Virgen normally with the addition of a Marian title like de la Peña de Gracia etc. or perhaps a nickname for someone who had played the part of the Virgin Mary in a pageant from virgen ‘virgin’ (from Latin virgo). This surname is very rare in Spain; it is found mainly in Mexico.

Visitacion : Spanish: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Visitación referring to the visit of Virgin Mary pregnant with Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth pregnant in turn by John the Baptist. This surname is most common in the Philippines.

Warr : 1: English (of Norman origin): nickname for a warrior usually from Norman French were werre waire warre (central French guerre) ‘war battle’ and short for de la werre (de la guerre see Delaware) literally ‘(man) of the war’ a construction paralleled in de la Bataille (see Battle). Occasionally it is a shortened form of Old French werreur ‘warrior’.2: English: variant of Ware.

Weir : 1: Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river from Middle English Older Scots wer(e) ‘weir; fish-trap’. Compare Ware and Wear. In northern England and lowland Scotland there has been much confusion with the Irish and Scottish Gaelic names in 2 4 and 5 below.2: Scottish: in Scotland this surname was sometimes used for Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir ‘son of the steward’ more often Anglicized as McNair.3: Scottish (of Norman origin): surname of a family of Blackwood (Lanarkshire) which is said to be descended from Ralph de Ver a Norman baron associated with William the Lion between 1174 and 1184. The change in pronunciation from Vere to Were would be unusual in Anglo-Norman French and the true source of the surname may lie elsewhere. One possibility is Wierre in Pas-de-Calais. Another possibility is that the surname may represent versions of the Norman surname de la Were ‘of the war’ a nickname for a warrior; see Warr.4: Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir ‘son of the steward’ (see McNair). This surname was formerly Anglicized as McMoyer whence Moyers. In Scotland it more often became McNair.5: Irish: Anglicized form based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic cora ‘weir stepping stones’) of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra and Ó Comhraidhe (see Corr and Curry).

Whisson : 1: from Wissant (Pas‐de‐Calais). Some bearers may belong with (2). 2: possibly for someone who lived by a place marked by white sand or at a place so named (Old English hwīt + sand). Compare Thomas de la Witesand 1236 in Löfvenberg (Surrey).

Wickware : English: habitational name from Wickwar in Gloucestershire (Avon) originally called simply Wick from Old English wīc ‘outlying settlement’. The war element is from the name of the de la Warr family (see Warr) who held the manor in the 13th century.

Zaleta : 1: Polish: nickname from zaleta ‘virtue advantage’ or derived from zalecać się ‘to woo to court’ (compare 2 below). This rare surname is found mainly in the cities of Bydgoszcz and Inowrocław in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.2: Slovak (mainly Záleta): nickname from záleta ‘philanderer’ (compare 1 above).3: Hispanic (mainly Mexico): probably an altered form of Spanish Saleta from a short form of the Marian name María de la Saleta ‘Our Lady of La Salette’ referring to the alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary in La Salette in France.

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