Espino
A Spanish surname from the word for a thorn bush or hawthorn.
The #2,278 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,300 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Espino comes from Spanish espino, meaning a thorny shrub or hawthorn. The word ultimately goes back to Latin spina, “thorn” or “spine,” so the surname is likely topographic or descriptive in origin. It may have first been applied to someone who lived near a thorn thicket or to a place named for such vegetation.
History
The surname fits a common Spanish naming pattern based on plants, trees, and landscape features. The historical sources also place Espino alongside related forms such as Espinos and Espinosa, showing a broader surname family built from the same thorn-root. It is found in Spanish-speaking regions and, through migration, in the Americas and among Hispanic communities elsewhere.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Espino also gave English words like “spine” and “spinous.”
From the historical record
“flores, árboles, frutas i plantas, como Flor, Rosa, Clavel, Moral, Manzano, Peral, Granado, Alamo, Encina, Robles, Pino, Espino, Acebo, Acebedo, Ciruelo, Nogueras, Olmo, Morera, Parra, Sarmiento, Viñas, Olivares, Mata, Romero, Aliaga, Melon, Trigo, Gal, Berza, Nuez, Limon, Tomate, Espárrago, Cebolla; o bien de los…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos