Villareal
A Spanish surname originally referring to someone from a “royal town” or a place called Villareal.
The #3,693 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,114 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Villareal is a Spanish habitational surname made from villa, meaning a country estate, town, or settlement, and real, meaning royal. Put together, the name literally means “royal town” or “royal village,” and it would originally have identified someone from a place called Villareal or Villarreal. In some cases it may also have been adopted from any of several places in Spain with that name.
History
The name is well established in Spanish-speaking regions and is especially familiar in Spain and Latin America. As with many habitational surnames, it could arise independently in more than one place, so unrelated families may share the same surname. The surname is also found in the United States through Spanish and Latin American migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
There are several Spanish places named Villarreal, which is why the surname can have more than one local origin.
From the historical record
“Valencia, Toledo, Talavera, Zamora, Moreno (see Sierra), Prado, Merida, Villareal, Castroverde, Alcantara, Saragossa, Barcelona, Malaga, Astorga, Alameda, Alcazar, Montserrat, Ebro, Gaudiana, Almazor, Rounceval (Ronoevalles), Mancha,”
— A Grammar of American Surnames