Diego
A Spanish surname and given name originally tied to the name Diego, traditionally explained as a shortened form related to Jacob.
The #5,651 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,276 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Diego is chiefly a Spanish surname taken from a personal name. Older writers often linked Diego to a chain of forms ultimately associated with Jacob, though the exact history of the given name has long been debated. In surname use, it is typically understood as patronymic: “son of Diego” or “belonging to Diego.”
History
The historical sources here treat Diego alongside surnames such as Díaz and say that Spanish family names often developed from a father’s given name. In Spain and Spanish-speaking regions, Diego is well established both as a surname and as a common male given name. Because the name has a long and somewhat tangled history in medieval Spanish, some older etymologies are simplified or speculative.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes grouped Diego with Díaz and other Spanish patronymics built from a parent’s given name.
From the historical record
“DIAZ (Span.) a contracted genit. of Diago (Diego) = Jacob, q.v. in Diet. DIETRICH (Ger.) People or Mighty Ruler [see under Theodoric in Diet.] DIEZ I C^^"") '^'™' fornis of Dietricjh, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)