Ramos
A Spanish and Portuguese surname originally referring to branches, twigs, or a leafy bough, and also sometimes linked to the religious name for Palm Sunday.
The #76 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,172 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ramos is the plural of Spanish ramo, “branch,” “bough,” or “spray,” ultimately from Latin ramus, “branch.” As a surname, it likely began as a descriptive or symbolic name for someone associated with branches, greenery, or a place marked by them. In some Spanish naming traditions it was also connected with the Sunday before Easter, when palm or branch imagery was prominent.
History
The name is common across Spain and the Hispanic world, and it also became frequent in Portuguese-speaking communities. Spanish historical writers sometimes associated Ramos with the liturgical Sunday called Domingo de Ramos, which likely reinforced its use as a surname or given name in some families. In the Americas it spread widely through colonial-era migration and later population growth.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish, ramo still means a branch or bouquet, so the surname preserves a very old everyday word that has stayed familiar for centuries.
From the historical record
“Mayo. El quinto mes del año. Palo alto adornado de cin- tas ¡otras cosas que se pone en los pueblos durante el mes de Mayo, para diversion. Ramos que ponen los no- 'vios a las puertas de sus norias.—MAYO. Mayus. Tercer mes del calendario romano, 5.2 del grevyoriano.—MAYO. Mayus. Tiene 31 dias. Su nombre proviene de…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos