Palacios
A Spanish surname meaning “palaces,” originally a plural place-name for someone from a settlement or house called Palacios.
The #789 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,049 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Palacios is the plural of Spanish palacio, “palace,” ultimately from Latin palatium. As a surname, it most likely began as a locational name for someone who lived at, worked at, or came from a place called Palacios or from houses known as the palaces. In older usage, plural place-names like this were common in Spanish naming.
History
The name is well established in Spain and spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is also common among Spanish and Latin American diaspora communities, including in the United States. The sources you provided use Palacios mainly as a plural form and as a Spanish surname example, which fits the standard interpretation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it is a plural form, Palacios literally means “palaces,” a pattern found in several Spanish surnames derived from place-names.
From the historical record
“Alcázar. Fortaleza, casa fuerte en que residian los alcal- des o gobernadores de los pueblos murados. En la ¡ oe:ia se toma por los palacios de los reyes, aunque no sean fuertes. El espacio que hai entre el palo mayor i la entrada de la cámara de un navío, Aldea Lugar corto sin jurisdiccion propia, que depende de…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos