Ovalle
A Spanish surname most often linked to a place-name, especially the town of Oviedo or other regional toponyms in the Spanish-speaking world.
The #4,610 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,107 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ovalle is a Spanish surname that is usually treated as locational, meaning it began as a name for someone who came from a particular place. In Spanish onomastics, surnames of this type often point to a town, estate, or region rather than to a literal meaning of the common word form. The exact place behind Ovalle is not certain from the name alone, and in some cases it may reflect a regional toponym from Spain or Spanish America.
History
The surname is found in Spain and became more widespread in the Americas through Spanish colonial migration. It is especially familiar in Latin American countries, where many Spanish locational surnames became established over several centuries. Because the form is fairly uncommon, its history is usually traced through family lines rather than through one single famous bearer.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Chile, Ovalle is also the name of a well-known city and municipality, which can make the surname feel especially place-linked even when the family connection is separate.