Lucero
A Spanish surname meaning “bright star” or “Venus,” originally a poetic nickname for something or someone shining brightly.
The #865 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,721 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Spanish, lucero means a bright star, especially the planet Venus as the morning or evening star. It ultimately goes back to Latin lux, meaning “light,” through words connected with brightness and shining. As a surname, it was likely first used as a nickname for someone seen as radiant, prominent, or “star-like.”
History
Lucero is a well-established Spanish surname and is especially common in the Spanish-speaking world and in Hispanic communities in the Americas. Its use as a family name fits the broad medieval pattern of surnames formed from nicknames or vivid descriptive terms. The surname is also common in New Mexico and the American Southwest, reflecting long Hispanic settlement in those regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older Spanish usage, lucero could specifically refer to Venus, the brightest planet visible from Earth.
From the historical record
“Lozano. Igual al anterior. | Lucero. El planeta Venus, al que comunmente llaman Estrella de Venus. -_Lucido. Adjetivo que se aplica al que hace o desempeña las cosas con gracia, liberalidad i esplendor.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos