Figueroa
A Spanish surname tied to a place or landscape associated with fig trees.
The #316 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,135 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Figueroa is generally taken as a Spanish locational surname, built on the word for a fig tree or fig grove. The ultimate root is Latin ficus, “fig,” which entered Spanish as higuera/fig-related forms and appears in many place-names and surnames. Older scholarship also links it to a descriptive place term meaning a fig-bearing or fig-grown area.
History
The name is strongly associated with Spain, especially the northwest and Galicia, and later spread widely through Spain's colonial and migration history. It is well established in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world more broadly, where it often appears as a hereditary family name rather than an active place-name reference. In the United States it is common enough to rank among the more frequent surnames nationwide.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish surname lists from the 19th century often group Figueroa with other place-based names, reflecting how many Iberian surnames came from the landscape.
From the historical record
“Fierrero. Herrador. - Figueroa. Arbol grande de mucha compacta 1 fuerte, que DE LOS APELLIDOS 63”
— Diccionario de los apellidos