Puentes
A Spanish surname meaning “bridges,” originally used for people who lived near or worked by one or more bridges.
The #4,711 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,013 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Puentes is the plural of Spanish puente, “bridge.” The word ultimately comes from Latin pons, pontis, also meaning “bridge.” As a surname, it likely began as a topographic name for someone living near bridges or a place identified by bridges. In some cases it may also point to a family from a town or neighborhood called Puentes.
History
The surname is found in Spain and across the Spanish-speaking world, especially in areas shaped by Iberian and later colonial naming patterns. It is a common type of Hispanic surname formed from a place feature rather than a personal nickname or occupation. In modern usage it is best known in Spanish-speaking countries and among Hispanic communities in the Americas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because puente means “bridge,” Puentes is one of many surnames that began as a simple landscape label rather than a family name in the modern sense.
From the historical record
“* Lasnorme m. 423. *Las Puentes 414. Lassaulx 380. Lassberg 346. L&szlö 701. * Latferde 562.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen