Bocanegra
A Spanish surname meaning “black mouth,” likely first used as a nickname or descriptive byname.
The #4,934 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,278 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bocanegra is a Spanish compound surname from boca, meaning “mouth,” and negra, meaning “black” or “dark.” Taken literally, it means “black mouth,” which likely began as a descriptive nickname rather than a hereditary family name. In surname use, such color-based bynames could refer to appearance, speech, temperament, or an incident remembered locally, though the exact original sense is usually impossible to prove.
History
The surname is most strongly associated with Spain and the Spanish-speaking world, where descriptive surnames of this type became hereditary over time. It is also found in Latin America through Spanish colonial migration. A well-known bearer was José María Bocanegra, briefly acting president of Mexico in 1829.
Origin
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Fun fact
Because it is a transparent compound in Spanish, many people can guess its literal meaning even without knowing the surname tradition.