Peñaloza
A Spanish surname probably tied to a place or landscape name, likely meaning someone from a stony or rocky place.
The #5,003 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,943 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Peñaloza is a Spanish surname that most likely began as a place-based name. It appears to combine peña, meaning a rock, cliff, or rocky outcrop, with a second element that is less certain and may reflect a local place-name formation. In practice, surnames of this type usually identified someone who came from or lived near a distinctive rocky place.
History
The surname is found in the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Spain and later throughout Latin America. Like many Iberian surnames, it likely spread through colonial-era migration and later national family lines in Spanish America. The spelling without the tilde, Penaloza, is common in records outside Spanish orthography.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The no-tilde form, Penaloza, is often just an administrative spelling adaptation rather than a different surname.