Arellano
A Spanish surname from the Navarrese place-name Arellano, later borne by a notable noble line such as the Ramírez de Arellano family.
The #687 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,162 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Arellano is a habitational surname taken from the town of Arellano in Navarre, Spain. In Spanish surname practice, this kind of name identifies someone as being from a particular place rather than describing a trade or personal trait. The place-name itself is older than the surname; its precise deeper origin is not firmly established in the excerpts, so the safest explanation is simply that the surname means 'from Arellano.'
History
The name is associated with a prominent Navarrese and Castilian noble house, especially the Ramírez de Arellano line. The excerpts note that members of this family were already known by this surname in the medieval period, including a Juan Ramírez de Arellano who supported Henry in his conflict with Peter I of Castile. The surname later spread beyond Spain and is now especially familiar in Hispanic communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is tied to a titled house so well established that older writers could refer to it simply as the 'linaje de Arellano.'
From the historical record
“cer para sostener su fábrica de primitivos condes de Castilla. Es falso que haya nada interlineado en el traslado de Arellano, cuyo códice existe en la Aca- demia de la Historia , biblioteca de Salazar. Bergan- za fundó en el mismo documento la existencia de un conde castellano, que llama Rodrigo I, y la anti-…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos