Lira
A surname found chiefly in Iberian and Latin American contexts, often linked to the Spanish and Portuguese word for the lyre.
The #2,447 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,921 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is most plausibly tied to Spanish and Portuguese lira, meaning “lyre,” from Latin lyra. As a surname, it may have begun as a nickname, an occupational byname for a musician, or an ornamental name based on the instrument. The historical excerpts do not provide a clear documentary explanation of the surname itself, only the word form and related uses.
History
Lira is well established as a word in Iberian languages and also appears as a personal and family name in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking areas. In modern usage it is especially familiar in Latin America, where it is borne by families with roots in Spain, Portugal, or local naming traditions. The surname may also reflect independent adoption from the musical term rather than a single ancestral line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root appears in the name of the constellation Lyra, the “lyre,” showing how the word moved from music to astronomy and then into surnames.
From the historical record
“cr. jMlin and Goslin. WlUelmu GcBOD, lira : P. T. Yorka. p.i& i6ig. Uairied-Henrr Jeaon ud Amy MnndcD: St. Mtcluel, Camhill, p. 15.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances