Rojo
A Spanish surname that began as a nickname for someone with a red complexion, hair, or other red-colored feature.
The #3,479 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,048 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Rojo is the Spanish word for “red,” and as a surname it most likely began as a descriptive nickname. The older Romance form ultimately goes back to Latin roots for red, especially the family of words built on Latin rubeus/russus. In medieval usage, it could have referred to a person’s hair, complexion, clothing, or another noticeable red trait.
History
The excerpted 19th-century works treat Rojo alongside other color-based Spanish surnames such as Moreno, Prieto, and Bermejo, which supports a nickname origin. Historical spellings and related forms such as Rojo, Royo, Roixo, and Roig appear in older Iberian records, showing how the name moved across regional Romance languages. Today Rojo is established across the Spanish-speaking world and also appears in the United States through Spanish and Latin American family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish surname lists often group Rojo with other color surnames, because those names were commonly created from visible traits and then passed down within families.
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