Gaona
A Spanish surname, most often understood as a place-based name from the Basque and Spanish-speaking world.
The #3,811 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,202 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gaona is generally treated as a toponymic surname, taken from a place-name rather than from a personal characteristic or occupation. The name is associated especially with northern Spain, where many surnames arose from towns, estates, or local landmarks. In some cases it may ultimately reflect a Basque place-name element, though the precise root is not always stated with certainty in brief surname references.
History
The surname is established in Spain and later spread through the Spanish-speaking world, especially to Latin America and the United States. Like many Iberian locational surnames, it would originally have identified someone by their place of origin or residence. Modern bearers are found in Spanish-heritage communities across the Americas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several notable bearers of the surname come from the Spanish-speaking world, which helped keep the name visible beyond its original regional roots.