Argüello
A Spanish surname, likely from a place name or local designation, best known through families from northern Spain and later the Americas.
The #4,160 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,246 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is traditionally treated as Spanish and is often linked with a place-name origin, rather than a clear occupational or descriptive meaning. The historical spellings Arguello and Arhuello suggest an old Iberian name with shifting medieval orthography, but the exact root is not secure from the excerpts alone. In practice, it is usually explained as a locational surname tied to a place or estate called Arguello/Argüello.
History
The excerpts point to early medieval attestations in northern Spain, including Asturias in the 14th century, which fits a long-established Iberian surname. Like many Spanish surnames, it later spread widely through migration to the Americas. The name remains especially associated with Spanish-speaking regions and Hispanic family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in old records with several spellings, a reminder that medieval Spanish spelling was not yet standardized.
From the historical record
“vantes sabía aplicarlo á la Camacha , la Coli7idres , la Ca- ñizares, la Montiela , la Gi'ijalva, la Tolosa , la Derrueca, la Arguello, la Escalanta, y á pobres gentes como la Ri- cota. El público lo aplicaba á mujeres de gran notoriedad, como luego observaremos ; pero no se le daba á mujer , ni aun de humilde…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos