Amaya
A surname most likely tied to the place name Amaya in northern Spain, though some older writers proposed a different, folkish explanation.
The #1,057 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,295 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Amaya is best understood as a locational surname from the old Spanish place name Amaya in Burgos, a prominent hilltop settlement in medieval Castile. The excerpted historical note links the family name to this place and describes it as a corruption of "Alemania," but that explanation is not widely accepted today and reads more like a later legend than a secure etymology. The surname is also found in Basque and Spanish contexts, reflecting the long overlap of place-names and family names in northern Spain.
History
Amaya appears in Iberian surname lists and is especially associated with northern Spain. Because the name matches an important historic locality, it likely spread as a toponymic family name from people identified with that place. The family-name tradition around Amaya includes some embellished origin stories, so older explanations should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name is also borne by a famous ancient settlement, the hill town of Amaya in Burgos, which helped keep the surname historically recognizable.
From the historical record
“dóvar, Almonacid, Almonte, Alos, Alsina, Altami- ra, Altmia, Alzáa, Alzaibar, Allende, Amado, Amandi, Amarita, Amaya, Ambite, Amenedo, Amer, Amézaga, Amilivia, Amirola, Amoros, Anaya, xAncares, Anchoriz , Anchuelo, Andía, An- dino , Andón , Andonaegui , Andrade , Andújar, Angles, Anguiano, Angnita , Ángulo , Anleo…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos