Pelayo
A Spanish surname and given name ultimately from the Latin Pelagius, meaning “of the sea.”
The #4,218 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,747 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pelayo comes from the Latin name Pelagius, which is ultimately from Greek pelagios, meaning “of the sea” or “marine.” In Spanish usage, Pelayo is the vernacular form of that old Christian name. As a surname, it likely began as a patronymic or as a hereditary family name formed from an ancestor’s given name.
History
The name is famous in Spain because Pelayo was the traditional name of the Asturian leader associated with the early resistance against the Moors. Medieval records also show it in Iberia as a personal name, and later it became established as a surname. It remains most strongly associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root that gave Pelayo also underlies the English word Pelagian, from the theological controversy linked to Pelagius.
From the historical record
“(Spanish.) Pelayo, Roderick, Alphonsus, Alphonso, Ferdinand, Isa- bella, Ximinez, Gonsalvo De Cordova, Vasquez, Quevedo, Quintana, Zurita, Murillo, Calderon, Cervantes, Saavedra, Quesada, Don Carlos.”
— A Grammar of American Surnames