Amaro
A surname with several possible roots, most often tied to a personal name or a descriptive word meaning “bitter” or “sad.”
The #3,042 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,234 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Amaro may come from the medieval personal name Amaro, ultimately connected with Latin amarus, meaning “bitter.” In Iberian naming practice, surnames often grew from given names, so Amaro could be patronymic in origin. A second possibility is that it developed as a nickname from the same Latin root, used figuratively for someone thought to be stern, melancholy, or “bitter.”
History
The name is well established in Iberia, especially in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking areas, and is found today as a surname as well as a given name. Historical references show it circulating in Spanish contexts by the early modern period, though the exact route from personal name to surname is not always clear. In the Americas, it spread through Spanish and Portuguese migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Amaro is also an old Spanish word for a type of sage plant, which can make the name feel unexpectedly botanical.
From the historical record
“Amaña. Arreglar mañosamente. Darse maña. Amaro. Especie de salvia cuyo tallo es de unos tres piés de altura, las hojas son grandes, de figura de corazon, re- cortadas por su márjen i cubierta de un vello blanquizco. Sus flores son azules. Amigo. El que tiene amistad hácia uno que le correspon-”
— Diccionario de los apellidos