La Torre
A Spanish surname meaning “the tower,” originally used for someone who lived by or worked at a tower or fortification.
The #8,234 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,688 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Latorre comes from Spanish la torre, literally “the tower.” The surname likely began as a topographic name for someone who lived near a tower, a watchtower, or a fortified tower. In some cases it may also have referred to a person from a place called La Torre.
History
This is a well-established Spanish surname and is especially common in Spain and across Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas. The attached article form can appear as one word in surnames, even though its meaning is transparent in Spanish. The excerpt provided lists it among Spanish family names, but does not give a detailed derivation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Tower-based surnames like this are very common in Romance languages because towers were prominent landmarks in medieval villages and fortified settlements.
From the historical record
“Lario (Larios), Larra, Larrañaga, Larrea, Larriba, Larroya, Lasanta, Lasarte, Las-Casas, Lascurain, Lastanosa, Lastra, Latas, Latasa, Latorre, Latre, Lavandero, Lax, Lazcano (Lezcano), Legazpi, Leirado, Leis, Lema, León, Lequerica, Lerchundi (Lersundi), Lerin, Lesaca, Lesarri, Letamendi, Le- tona, Leyba, Lezama…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos