ESPINOZA
Espinoza is a surname of Spanish origin, itself derived from the Spanish word espino meaning “thorn” or “thorny bush.” The name is toponymic, originally identifying a person who dwelt near a field of thorny shrubs or within a natural barrier formed by such vegetation.
In the Iberian Peninsula the surname is commonly found in Spain and has spread throughout the Spanish‑speaking world, particularly in Mexico and Chile. It is recorded in some forty spelling forms, ranging from the French variants Epine, Lepine, and Delepine, to the Spanish Espinas and Espinoza, and even to the Italian Spinelli.
The earliest listing of the name in English and French surname dictionaries associates it with early French origins. However, linguistic evidence shows that the name is more correctly of Roman (Latin) descent, stemming from the pre‑Christian word spina – a descriptor for a person residing near a prominent thorn bush, a defensive area protected by such vegetation, or on the ridge or spine of a hill. In the late medieval period the surname was also applied as a nickname to a “difficult” or “prickly” character, and in some case it has been suggested it may once have referred to a spy, possibly derived from the French espionier; the latter hypothesis remains unproven.
Recorded instances of the surname occurring in the early modern period include Claude Espinoy in Paris in 1638, Michelle Lespine, who married Pierre Fiquet at Rumigny, Ardenne, in 1632, and Jean Epinet of Bard, Loire, in 1689. The first documented spelling of the family name is that of Louis Delespine, dated 1 August 1545, at the Church of St. Florentine, Amboise, France, during the reign of King Francis I and the House of Valois (1515‑1547). Subsequent registrations appear in New Spain, for example Maria de Espinoza at San Miguel Arcangel on 5 February 1696 and Rueda Espinosa at San Juan Bautista in Coyoacan on 20 August 1775.
The associated coat of arms is blazoned as follows: a silver field charged with a red fesse, and overall a black lion rampant. This heraldic device is consistently reproduced in contemporary depictions of families bearing the name, signifying both heritage and status within the noble lineages that have carried it.
Typical given names associated with the Espinoza surname
Male
- Alexander
- Anthony
- Daniel
- Eduardo
- Francisco
- Ian
- Karl
- Lee
- Leonardo
- Michael
- Randolph
Female
- Claire
- Dawn
- Jane
- Joan
- Julia
- Maria
- Mary
- Myrna
- Pilar
- Tanya
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Espinoza in...
Braille
⠑⠎⠏⠊⠝⠕⠵⠁
Morse
.....--...-.-----...-
Semaphore
There are approximately 146 people named Espinoza in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Espinoza.
Origin: Iberian
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Spain
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Spanish
