Aguilera
A Spanish surname meaning “place of eagles” or “eagle’s rock,” originally tied to a landscape marked by eagles.
The #1,109 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,776 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Aguilera is a Spanish surname built on águila, “eagle,” ultimately from Latin aquila. The ending -era commonly forms place names or words for a place associated with something, so Aguilera would originally refer to a spot linked with eagles—often understood as a rocky place where eagles nest. In this sense it is a habitational or topographic surname, not a personal nickname.
History
The name is well established in Spain and later spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is also borne by families in Latin America and, through migration, in the United States. As with many Spanish surnames, it likely arose independently in more than one place from local features rather than from a single ancestral line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The source excerpt glosses Aguilera as “the crag where eagles nest,” which nicely captures the surname’s landscape-based origin.
From the historical record
“encendido ¡ vista perpicaz. - Aguilera. La peña en que anidan las águilas. Aguilero. El que cria o caza águilas. Agustin. Especte de mosto. Relativo a San Ayustin,”
— Diccionario de los apellidos