Spina
An Italian and Latin-based surname meaning “thorn” or “spine,” often used as a nickname or as a place-name form.
The #7,481 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,334 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Spina comes from Latin spina, meaning “thorn,” “prickly plant,” or “spine/backbone.” In surname use, it could begin as a descriptive nickname for someone thought sharp, thorny, or physically distinctive, or it could arise from a place-name tied to the same word. Medieval records also show forms like de Spina, which can reflect a locational byname.
History
The excerpts show medieval bearers in England and Yorkshire styled de Spina, suggesting a place-based or Latinized surname form in documentary Latin. In later centuries, Spina is especially common in Italian-speaking areas, where it remained a straightforward surname from the common word for “thorn.” The name’s appearance in English records does not necessarily mean all modern bearers descend from the same medieval family.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Latin phrase cited in old surname books, spina vocor, literally means “I am called Thorn,” showing how transparent the name was to medieval writers.
From the historical record
“S-EPE great PULCHRAS ASPERA SPINA ROSAS. His kinsmen, Robert and Nicholas, bene- factors to Bristol, were painted by Holbein, and the corporation, in gratitude, placed over the picture of the latter the v/iscrij}- tural legend: Ex SPIKIS UVAS collegi-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom