Canela
A surname drawn from the word for cinnamon, likely first used as a nickname or descriptive byname.
The #9,030 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,312 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Canela is the Spanish and Portuguese word for cinnamon, the aromatic bark spice. The surname most likely began as a descriptive nickname for someone associated with the spice, its color, or perhaps a trade connected with it. In older Iberian naming practice, such flavor- and color-based bynames often became inherited surnames.
History
The form is found in Iberian-language surname material and remains most familiar in Spanish-speaking communities. Its presence in Latin America likely reflects Spanish and Portuguese colonial-era transmission, as with many Iberian surnames. Modern bearers may also reflect independent adoption of the word as a family name in places where descriptive surnames were common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same word behind the surname is used in Spanish and Portuguese for cinnamon, one of the world’s most recognizable spices.
From the historical record
“Candi. Cande. Canela. La segunda corteza del árbol del mismo nombre. Canelas. Plural del anterior. Canelo Arbol de Ceilan i otros paises cálidos, cuya cor-”
— Diccionario de los apellidos