Becerril
A Spanish surname linked to becerro, “calf,” likely meaning a place or person associated with young cattle.
The #8,491 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,553 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Becerril is a Spanish surname built on becerro, “calf” or “young bull/cow,” with the suffix -il. In the historical sources, it is glossed as meaning something like “pertaining to the calf” or “what belongs to a young bovine.” In practice, surnames of this type often began as nicknames or, more often, as place-based names tied to a locality or landholding with that name.
History
The name appears in older Spanish surname lists, suggesting established use in Iberia by the 19th century. Because Spanish surnames ending in -il frequently come from place-names or descriptive forms, Becerril may have spread both as a toponymic surname and as a hereditary family name from an earlier byname. It is still found in Spain and in Spanish-speaking communities abroad, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root becerro also appears in Spanish phrases and older ecclesiastical vocabulary, not just in surnames.
From the historical record
“Aliaga, Melon, Trigo, Gal, Berza, Nuez, Limon, Tomate, Espárrago, Cebolla; o bien de los animales, como Caballo, Buey, Vaca, Toro, Becerra, Becerril, Cabra, Cordero, «.Bortego, Lobo, Oso, «Conejo, úxallo, Apuila, Cuervo, Ave- cillo, Pardillo, Sardina i Salmon; o bien de las partes de un edificio i muebles del…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos