Flores
Usually a Spanish surname meaning “flowers,” originally a nature-based or nickname-style family name.
The #40 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 711 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Flores is the Spanish plural of flor, meaning “flower,” from Latin flos, floris. As a surname, it was likely first used as a descriptive or ornamental name, or as a name drawn from a place or house marked by flowers. In some cases it may also have been influenced by the medieval given name Flor or Florus, but the most straightforward explanation is the Spanish word for “flowers.”
History
The surname is long established in Spain and spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is especially common in Latin America and in communities shaped by Spanish colonial migration. Historical surname lists also show Flores appearing alongside other Spanish nature-based surnames, supporting its interpretation as a traditional Iberian family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Flores is one of the most common Hispanic surnames in the United States, ranking 40th in the 2010 Census.
From the historical record
“ayrícola t pastoril, como Labrador, Pastor, Cabrero, Bo- yero, Vaquero, Cabañero, Colmenero, Abejero; o de las 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…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos