Barcenas
A Spanish surname likely tied to a place name, ultimately from a word meaning a bushy or scrubby place.
The #5,031 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,239 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barcenas is most likely a locational surname from Spanish place names such as Barcena or Bárcenas. These names are usually explained from Latin, often connected with a term for brushwood, thickets, or rough uncultivated land. In that sense, the surname originally pointed to someone who came from, or lived near, such a place.
History
The name is found in Spanish-speaking areas, especially in Spain and later in the Americas through migration. Historical surname lists and place-name traditions show both singular and plural forms, reflecting local geographic naming rather than a single family line. In the United States today it is most often associated with Hispanic and Mexican-American families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is closely related to a family of Spanish place names, so the same root can appear as both a village name and a surname.
From the historical record
“ños, Bañiielos, Baquedano, Barahona , Baraibar Barajas, Baranda, Baraya, Ijarba, Barbadillo, Bár- bara, Barbudo, Barca, Barcena, Barcenas (Las), Barcia, Barcones, Bardon, Barinaga, Baro, Baroja, Barzanallana, Barra, Barrachina, Barrantes, Bar- reda, Barreiro, Barrera (La), Barreras, Barrientos, Barriga…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos