Cabrales
A Spanish surname likely tied to goats or goat-herding, with a form that looks like a regional or pluralized offshoot of Cabral.
The #9,258 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,812 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Cabrales is linked to Spanish cabra, meaning “goat.” The excerpted source glosses it as a plural form of Cabral, which itself is explained there in terms of goats. Taken at face value, the name points to a goat-related byname or to someone connected with goat herding, though the exact pathway from the base word to the surname form is not entirely secure.
History
Cabrales is a Spanish-language surname and is also familiar as a place name in Asturias, which may have helped its use as a family name in some cases. In modern usage it is relatively uncommon, including in the United States. Because the historical excerpt is brief and incidental, the precise surname history should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root cabra appears in several Spanish surnames and words connected with goats, including Cabrera and Cabrerizo.
From the historical record
“Cabral. Conjunto de piños de cabras. Cabrales. Plural del anterior. Cabrera. El pástor de cabras. El que es aficionado a echar cabras con el compañero que ha perdido. Cabrerizo. Relativo a las cabras. Cabrero.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos