Hurtado
A Spanish surname that began as a nickname or byname, from a word meaning “wounded” or “injured.”
The #1,160 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,194 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hurtado is a Spanish surname built from the past participle of hurtar? No—more likely from the Spanish verb hurtar is “to steal,” but the historical surname is normally explained from hurtado, “wounded, injured.” In older Spanish usage, it could function as a descriptive byname for someone marked by a wound or some other injury. Later it became established as a hereditary family name.
History
The name is well known in Spain and the wider Spanish-speaking world, and it appears in noble compound surnames such as Hurtado de Mendoza. The excerpts suggest that early writers treated Hurtado as an old hereditary surname already in circulation before such compounds were fixed. It has remained common in Hispanic naming traditions, especially in Spain and Latin America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Hurtado de Mendoza is one of the classic Spanish compound surnames, showing how an older standalone surname could later be joined to another family name.
From the historical record
“zarlos a las escopetas o redes preparadas en las bocas. Hurtado. /HZurtada. Hurto. 1”
— Diccionario de los apellidos