Manrique
A Spanish surname from a medieval personal name, likely meaning “son of Manric/Manrique” rather than a place or occupation.
The #8,562 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,256 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Manrique is a Spanish surname built on an old personal name, Manrique, which itself goes back to a medieval Germanic name. The older form is usually explained as containing Germanic name elements such as mann- meaning “man” and a second element related to “power” or “ruler,” though 19th-century scholars often treated the details cautiously. In practice, the surname most directly means “descendant of Manrique” or “belonging to the family of Manrique.”
History
The name is well known in medieval Castile through the powerful Manrique family, including members who held major noble titles and appear frequently in historical chronicles. It remained in use both as a surname and, at times, as a given name in later centuries. The spelling and prestige of the name helped keep it widely recognized in Spanish history and genealogy.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname became especially prominent through the noble House of Manrique, one of the notable aristocratic lineages of late medieval Spain.
From the historical record
“buen servicio que me ha hecho 2009 mrs » {Testamento de Doña Ana Manrique, condesa de Paredes, otorgado en Tor- dcsillas en 1541.) « ítem, mando á Carranza, mujer del dicho Juan de Salas , doce mil maravedís.» {Testamento de Diego de Siloc, otorgado en Granada en 1563.) Hé aquí designaciones femeninas \yov solo el…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos