Terrazas
A Spanish surname likely tied to terraces or a terraced place.
The #3,378 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,212 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Terrazas is a Spanish surname connected to the word terraza, meaning a terrace, flat roof, or stepped/terraced area. As a surname, it most likely began as a place-based name for someone who lived near a terraced site or came from a locality called Terrazas. The ending -as fits Spanish plural or place-name forms, so the name may also reflect a topographic or settlement-based origin rather than a direct occupational one.
History
The surname is found in Spanish-speaking regions, especially in Iberia and across Latin America, where many surnames preserve medieval place names or landscape features. In the Americas it spread through Spanish colonial migration and later regional population movement. The name is best known today in Mexico and among Mexican-American families, though it is not limited to one country.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because terrazas are built features as well as natural-looking landforms, the surname can point to either a place name or a landscape description, which makes its exact first use hard to pin down.