Altamirano
A Spanish surname probably built from the place-name Altamirano, likely meaning “high Tamar” or “high hill by Tamar,” though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #2,915 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,109 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Altamirano is generally treated as a Spanish locational surname, formed from a place-name rather than from a personal nickname or occupation. The first element is usually taken from Spanish alto, “high,” while the second element is probably a place-name or older local name, possibly connected with Tamar or a related toponymic form. Because the historical record is thin and place-name formation can be irregular, the exact literal meaning is not certain.
History
The surname is especially associated with Spanish-speaking regions and later spread widely through Hispanic America. In older scholarship it appears among surnames considered characteristically Spanish, but the surviving excerpt does not provide a full derivation. Today it is most familiar in Latin American family lines, reflecting colonial-era and later migration patterns.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
It is one of those surnames whose structure looks transparent in Spanish, yet the second half remains historically elusive to etymologists.
From the historical record
“tur, Aurelius Baeticus. Numerosísimos son los que de este género hay en castellano, tales como Alavés, Altamirano, Andaluz, Aragonés, Beja- rano, Berganciano, Burhano (de Bureba , Rodé- rico huruano en escritura de 1195 y John huru- hanus en otra de 1196, ambas en el becerro de Santa María de Rioseco), Burgueño…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos