Cifuentes
A Spanish surname originally taken from a place name meaning “the springs” or “the fountains.”
The #5,500 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,814 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cifuentes is a Spanish habitational surname from the town of Cifuentes in Guadalajara. The place name is usually explained from Latin roots related to "fons" or a similar form meaning a spring or fountain, with the plural sense preserved in Spanish "fuentes". In surname use, it simply meant someone who came from that place.
History
As with many Spanish surnames, Cifuentes spread from a local place name into a hereditary family name. It is found in Spain and across the Spanish-speaking world, especially in regions shaped by migration from Spain to the Americas. The historical excerpt provided lists it among Spanish place-based surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is also the name of a town in Castilla-La Mancha, which helped make it easy to identify people by their origin.
From the historical record
“(Los), Cervantes, Cervera, Cerrajería, César (once pueblos en Galicia), Céspedes, Cetina, Cid, Cien- fuegos, Cieza (Ciezar), Cifuentes, Cijuela (Cejue- la?), Cillero 1, Ciorraga , Cisneros , Ciurana , Cla- ret, Clavería, Clavijo, Cobaleda, Cobarrubias, Co- belo, Cobeña, Cobos, Coca, Cocina, Coello, Coira, Colinas…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos