Tobar
Usually a habitational surname, most likely referring to a place-name built on a word for a well or spring.
The #4,977 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,756 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Iberian use, Tobar is a habitational surname from one or more places called Tobar/Tóbar, especially in medieval Castile. The place-name is commonly linked to a pre-Roman or old local word for a spring or well; this fits the widespread Iberian toponymic pattern of naming settlements after water sources. The same form also appears in Irish and Gaelic contexts, where tobar means “well” or “spring,” so the surname can have independent origins in different regions.
History
The Spanish surname is attested in medieval noble lineages, with historical notices placing early bearers in northern Spain and later linking the name to notable figures such as Juan Fernández de Tobar and Fernán Sánchez de Tobar. In English-language surname dictionaries, Tobar is also compared with Irish place-names containing tobar, showing that the same spelling could arise separately in Gaelic-speaking areas. Because of that, modern bearers may have either Spanish or Irish ancestry, depending on family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word behind the name is closely related to the everyday idea of a spring or well, so the surname can literally point to a water source.
From the historical record
“TABOR. Local. Tabur or Tobar, Gaelic, a spring-well, water, a river. • Tabor, a city in Bohemia, which the Hussites for- tified and made the seat of their war for twenty years ; on this account they were called Tdborites. The family may probably derive their name from this city.”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names