Villalta
A Spanish surname meaning “high town” or “upper village,” built from villa and alta.
The #7,112 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,635 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Villalta is a Spanish habitational surname formed from villa, meaning “village,” “estate,” or “country house,” and alta, meaning “high” or “tall.” Taken together, the name most likely referred to someone from a place called Villalta, literally “high village” or “upper town.” In surname use, it belongs to the large Spanish class of names taken from place-names rather than from occupations or personal traits.
History
The name appears in Spanish-speaking regions as both a place-name and a surname, and it spread to the Americas through Spanish migration. Because many Spanish surnames are habitational, Villalta likely arose independently in more than one locality named for its position on higher ground. It is recorded in historical surname lists, though the excerpt provided does not give a full etymological explanation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Villalta is one of many Spanish surnames built from villa plus a descriptive adjective, alongside names like Villaverde and Villanueva.
From the historical record
“Villacami^a, Villacoba, Villaescusa, Villafañe , Vi- llalobos, Villalonga, Villalta, Yillalba, Villalvilla, Villanueva, Yillapadierna, Yillapol, Yillareal, Yi- llate , Yillaverde , Yillena , Yillodas , Yillodre , Yi- lloslada. Yillota, Yiniegra, Yinuesa, Yirio, Virues Yivanco, Yizmanos, Yanes, Yebes, Ynrre, Zabala…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos