Carbajal
A Spanish surname from a place-name, ultimately referring to an oak grove or wooded area.
The #1,646 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,138 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carbajal is a Spanish habitational surname, originally used for someone from a place called Carbajal or Carvajal. The place-name is usually linked to Latin roots for a grove or wooded land, often explained from late Latin words associated with trees and brushwood, especially the oak. In broad terms, the name points to someone who lived by, or came from, a wooded or oak-covered place.
History
The surname is well established in Spain and later spread widely to Latin America through Spanish migration and colonial-era settlement. In many regions it appears alongside the variant spelling Carvajal, which is probably the more common modern form. Bearers of the name include several notable colonial, military, and political figures in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Carbajal and Carvajal are often treated as the same family name in historical records because older spelling was less standardized than it is today.