Ariza
A Spanish surname most likely taken from a place-name, with deep roots in northern Iberia.
The #9,770 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,108 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ariza is a Spanish surname that most likely began as a locational name, referring to a person from a place called Ariza. The surname is especially associated with Spain, and historical surname lists place it alongside other toponymic names from the Iberian Peninsula. The precise deeper meaning of the place-name itself is not secure from the excerpt alone, so the safest reading is simply 'from Ariza.'
History
The surname is documented in Spanish surname scholarship as part of the stock of regional Iberian names, and it appears in historical lists of Spanish family names. In modern times it has spread beyond Spain through migration to Latin America and elsewhere, which helps explain its presence in the United States, though it remains relatively uncommon there.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish, surnames like Ariza often began as straightforward identifiers meaning a family came from a particular town or village.
From the historical record
“Ardila, Arechaga, Arellano, Arenas , Arenillas, Areuzana, Arévalo , Argamasilla , Argensola, Ar- gote. Arguelles, Arguello, Arguijo, Ariz, Ariza, Arizcun, Arjona, Armada, Armentia, Armesto, Aróstegui, Artazcoz, Arteaga, Arteta, Artieda, Arratia, Arrazola, Arredondo , Arribas , Arrieta, Arríete, Arrióla, Arroniz…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos