Chaparro
A Spanish surname from a nickname for someone stocky or short, literally “bushy” or “stunted.”
The #5,718 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,898 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Chaparro is a surname formed from the Spanish word chaparro, which originally referred to a scrubby oak or, more generally, something low, thick, or stunted. As a byname, it was likely applied to a person of short or stocky build, or to someone associated with a place named for scrub oak. The underlying sense is descriptive rather than occupational.
History
The surname is especially common in Spanish-speaking regions and in Latin American countries, reflecting the wide spread of Spanish naming traditions. Like many Iberian surnames, it probably began as a nickname and later became hereditary. It is also found among families of Hispanic heritage in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish, chaparro can still mean a short person or something low and bushy, which makes the surname one of those that still echoes its everyday vocabulary origin.