Miranda
A surname from a place-name meaning “admirable” or “to be admired,” widely found in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking families.
The #330 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,298 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Miranda comes from the Latin gerundive miranda, meaning “something to be admired” or “worthy of admiration,” from mirari, “to wonder at” or “admire.” In Iberian surname use, it is commonly locational: people took the name from a place called Miranda, a very widespread place-name in Spain and Portugal. The place-name itself was often understood in the sense of a “worthy-to-be-admired” site or landmark.
History
The surname is especially associated with Spain and Portugal, where numerous towns and districts are named Miranda. Historical sources also note noble and regional lineages styled de Miranda, showing that the surname could signal origin from a particular estate or locality. It later spread widely through Iberian migration to the Americas and beyond.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Miranda is also a familiar place-name in literature and on maps, which helped keep the surname recognizable across the Spanish and Portuguese worlds.
From the historical record
“Lodie, Lorenda, Lowella, Luceba, Luella, Lueya, LuNANA, LuziA ; Mahala, Malvina, Mehitabel,* Melinda, Melissa, Mercena, Miranda, Myra Affa ; Ora, Oupha, Ottilia, Ozia ; Parmela, Phila, Phi- LURA, Pruda (L. 711, f. 92) ; Phoena, Pilla, Podena, PosALiE and Poselia, Posella and Posetta, Posilla and PosiNA ; Sabra…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)