Carrasco
A Spanish surname with several possible origins, most likely tied either to holm oak scrub or to a place name built from that word.
The #1,110 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,778 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carrasco is a Spanish surname associated with the word carrasco, meaning a holm oak or scrub oak, especially in Spanish place-names and landscape terms. In many cases it was probably a locational surname for someone who lived near, or came from, a place called Carrasco or a similar feature marked by scrub oak. Some historical writers also connect it more generally with topographic surnames formed from vegetation names, rather than with a single fixed ancestor nickname.
History
The name is well established in Spain and later spread widely across Spanish-speaking countries through migration. It is also familiar from literature, where 'Carrasco' appears as a character name in Don Quixote, which helped make it recognizable beyond family history alone. Modern bearers are especially common in Spain and Latin America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Don Quixote character Sansón Carrasco helped keep the surname visible in world literature.
From the historical record
“cas. Carrasco. CARRASCAS. Cascoja. Oarrera. Marcha mui rápida. Camino o calle que lo fué. Flilera. Fiesta en que corren hombres o caballos. Carreras. Plural del anterior.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos