Almodóvar
A Spanish habitational surname from a place-name, most famously associated with towns in central and southern Spain.
The #8,049 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,084 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Almodóvar is a Spanish surname taken from one or more place-names, especially towns called Almodóvar in Spain. The place-name is generally traced to Arabic al-mudawwar, meaning something like "the round" or "the fortified round place," referring to a circular fort or hilltop stronghold. Over time, people who came from such a place adopted the name as a hereditary surname.
History
The surname is most strongly associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking families, and it spread widely through migration to Latin America and the United States. It is best known today from the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, which has given the name international visibility. Because it is a habitational surname, independent origins from different Almodóvar localities are possible.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname kept its place-name flavor so strongly that its best-known modern bearer is often called simply by the family name alone.