Escamilla
A Spanish surname most likely tied to place-name or descriptive roots, with a meaning that has been variously explained in older sources.
The #1,715 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,732 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Escamilla is Spanish, but the older excerpt provided does not give a clear, reliable derivation. It appears in a list of Spanish words and names discussed together, alongside forms like Escanilla and Canilla, and the note seems to associate them with ideas of dependence or lack of freedom. However, that passage is too fragmentary to treat as a secure etymology for the surname itself. In practice, Escamilla is best treated as a surname of uncertain origin, probably ultimately from a Spanish place-name or a related descriptive form.
History
Escamilla is well established in Spanish-speaking regions and is also found in the United States, especially through Hispanic and Mexican-American family lines. The surname is comparatively common as a toponymic-style family name in Spanish onomastics, but the exact historical source for this particular form is not firmly established from the excerpt supplied.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is often associated with Spanish place-name patterns, but older lexicographers sometimes grouped it with unrelated-looking words, making its early explanation surprisingly messy.
From the historical record
“que se asciende en dignidad- Escamilla. Cuna Escanilla. Canilla. Esclava. La mujer que está bajo el dominio de otra o carece de libertad.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos