Palomino
A Spanish surname that began as a nickname or descriptive term, originally linked to a young pigeon or light-colored horse.
The #3,800 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,152 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Spanish, palomino commonly means a young pigeon or squab, from paloma, “pigeon/dove,” ultimately from Latin palumba/palumbes. It was also used for a pale or light-colored horse, so the surname may have begun as a nickname for someone associated with either meaning. In historical surname use, such descriptive labels often became inherited family names.
History
The name is established in Spain and later spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is borne by the well-known Spanish painter Antonio Palomino (1660–1726), which helped make the surname visible in art history. In some cases it may also have been attached to places or local bynames, but the strongest general explanation is descriptive rather than locational.
Origin
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Fun fact
The word palomino is famous today as the name of a golden horse color, and that usage is connected to the same Spanish word-family as the surname.
From the historical record
“and Antonio Zapata, born at Soria at the end of the seventeenth century. The latter was one of the most celebrated of the pupils of Antonio Palomino, and, among many others, painted a fine picture of St. Peter and St. Paul for the cathedral of Osma. The name is probably derived from locality. Zapata is the…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames