Alvares
A Romance-language surname usually meaning “son of Álvaro,” with Iberian roots in Spain and Portugal.
The #8,673 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,485 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Alvares is a patronymic surname from the given name Álvaro. In Spanish and Portuguese naming practice, the ending -es can mark descent or association, so the name originally meant “of Álvaro” or “son of Álvaro.” The personal name Álvaro is generally traced to a Germanic name introduced into Iberia in the early medieval period, though its exact pre-Romanic form is debated.
History
The surname is found mainly in Iberian and Portuguese-speaking communities, and it spread widely through migration to the Americas and beyond. Variants with and without an accent, and with slightly different spellings, reflect local spelling habits and record-keeping rather than a different origin. In many family lines it functions as a hereditary surname even where the original patronymic sense is no longer felt.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
It is easy to confuse Alvares with the much more common Alvarez; in many records the two spellings can overlap or be standardized differently by clerks.