Prieto
A Spanish surname from a word meaning “dark” or “swarthy,” often first used as a nickname.
The #1,833 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,817 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Prieto comes from Spanish prieto, an old word for someone or something dark, swarthy, or very black. The term is usually traced back to Latin pressus, meaning “pressed” or “compressed,” which in Romance usage developed senses connected with darkness or a dark, close-set appearance. As a surname, it most likely began as a descriptive nickname for a person with a dark complexion or hair.
History
The name is well established in Spain and later spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world, especially to the Americas. Historical surname lists from Spanish and onomastic works regularly group Prieto with other color-based surnames such as Moreno, Cano, Negro, and Blanco. In modern usage it is common as a hereditary surname rather than a literal description.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish surname lists often place Prieto among a family of color surnames, showing how common descriptive nicknames were as the basis for inherited family names.
From the historical record
“Rojo, Bermejo, Cano, Moreno, Prieto, Colorado, Pardo, Zarco, Dorado: estos, de algun nombre propio que era ordinario en la familia, como Vicente, Martin, Manuel, Domingo, i talvez de aluun mote o apodo que pasaba de padres a hijos, como Piernas, Barriga, Molinillo, Raposo, Guisado, Lanceta, Navaja, Puñal, Grasa…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos