Guerrero
A Spanish surname meaning “warrior” or “soldier,” originally a nickname for someone seen as warlike or brave.
The #234 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,399 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Guerrero comes from Spanish guerrero, meaning “warrior” or “soldier,” from guerra, “war.” The deeper root is Germanic, ultimately connected with words for conflict and fighting that entered Romance languages through medieval contact. In surname use, it most likely began as a nickname for a person known for martial spirit, military service, or a combative temperament.
History
The surname is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world and is especially prominent in Spain and Latin America. Like many descriptive surnames, it could arise independently in different places for different families. The word itself was also used historically in general prose to mean a warlike person, which fits the surname’s nickname origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Spanish noun guerrero still means “warrior” today, so the surname is almost identical to an ordinary vocabulary word.
From the historical record
“c mas potencias. Guerrero. El que tiene jenio marcial i es inclinado a la guerra. 5 Guijarro. Piedra lisa no mui grande, -_Guillo. Guilla.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos