Basque surnames
Basque surnames are surnames with Basque-language origins or a long, identifiable tradition in the Basque Country. They can be divided into two main types, patronymic and non-patronymic.
The patronymics such as Aluariz (probably Alvariz, child of Alvar, as in the past 'u' and 'v' were indistinguishable in writing), Obecoz or Garcez are amongst the most ancient, going as far back as the 10th century.
The non-patronymic surnames are often toponymic ones that refer to the family's etxea, the historically all important family home. When a farm (baserri) was rented to another family, often the new tenants were known locally by the farm name rather than by their officially registered surname. They also referred to the occupation of the head of the family such as Olaberria ("the new forge") or Salaberria (new farm/farmer) or could describe where their home was such as Elizondo ("by the church").
History
Oldest records
The earliest documented Basque surnames occur on
Also SEMBECONNIS, possibly a derivative of the later surname Jimenez (Scemeno attested in the 8–9th century). V(alerius) BELTESONIS (probable coinage from beltz 'black', less likely linked to bele/bela 'crow') engraved on the stella of Andriarriaga located in Oiartzun bears witness to a mixture of Roman and Vasconic tradition in the local aristocracy during the Antiquity.
Medieval names
In the Middle Ages, a totemic animal figure often stood for the person's presumable features.
The non-patronymic, descriptive Basque naming tradition came to a halt when in the 16th century Catholic Church tightened regulations to Christianize practices that didn't stick to the Church's orthodoxy (cf. given name Ochanda, 'female wolf', in Vitoria-Gasteiz still in the 16th century).[] for the most part. The patronymics are derived from the father through the suffix -ez, -oz, -iz or -az which means 'of'. The Basque language also expresses family links with the genitive suffix -(r)ena, e.g. Perurena, Arozena, etc., meaning 'belonging to'.
Upper nobility
The first king of Navarre,
Marital alliances between the Christian kingdoms of Leon and Navarre were typical in the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries in order to protect themselves from the southern Islamic attacks. Proof is the fact that King
On the other hand, the first king of Aragón,
As a result of the Reconquista, the Douro basin was repopulated, most probably by people mainly coming from Navarre, Biscay, Cantabria or Alava, who used the suffix -ez. Furthermore, it is possible that many of the most common patronymic Spanish surnames are not only of Basque-Navarrese origin, but also of royal and aristocratic background. It is logical to assume that the royal families from Leon, Navarre, Aragón and the aristocracy of Biscay, Alava or La Rioja would have had larger numbers of offspring than the regular population given their greater financial means and longer life expectancy.[5]
Grammar and orthography
The grammar of the patronymic endings -ez, -iz or -oz is very similar to that of their use to denote origin or content such as egurrez (made of wood), harriz (made of stone) or ardoz bete (full of wine). In Basque, -z is added to the end of the word if it ends in vowel (as in Muñoz, offspring of Munio) or -ez if the word ends in consonant (as in Antúnez, offspring of Anton). This grammar structure is not always the case in the patronymic surnames, e.g., González, offspring of Gonzalo. However, in documents of the 10th, 11th and 12th century linked to the Monastery of Santa Maria de Nájera, we find old versions of these surnames such as Galindoz, Enecoz, Albaroz, Ordonioz, Munioz de Alava, and Lopiz de Bizcaya. It is possible that the proper Basque grammar of the patronymic was lost as its use was extended south of the Basque country.[1]
During the medieval period Basque names were written broadly following the spelling conventions of the official languages of the day, usually
Since the introduction of Standard Basque and a common written standard, the number of non-indigenous spelling variants has begun to decrease, especially in Spain, taking on a form in accordance with the meaning of the surname in Basque, which remains irrelevant in other language spellings. The
Modern Standard | Spanish Spelling | French Spelling |
---|---|---|
Aroztegi | Arostegui | Rosteguy |
Elizalde | Elizalde | Elissalde/Delissalde/Delissalt |
Eneko | Iñigo/Yñigo | Éneco/Ínego/ |
Etxeberria | Echeverría | Etcheverry/Detcheverry/Echeverri |
Etxepare | Echepare | Etchepare/Detchepare |
Ezkibel | Esquivel | Esquibel |
Intxausti | Inchausti | Ynchausty |
Zubiri | Zubiri | Çubiry |
Note that in the French-based spellings the D is unhistoric and represents the French partitive particle d' "of".
Conventions
As is the legal convention in Spain, Basques in the South have double legal surnames, the first being that of the father and the second that of the mother. In the North, Basques legally have only one surname as is the convention in France. Nonetheless, most Basques can at least recite the surnames of their parents' and grandparents' generations. The founder of Basque nationalism, Sabino Arana, demanded a certain quantity of Basque surnames from his followers in order to reject those of mixed Basque-Spanish descent.
In
For a while it was popular in some circles to follow a convention of stating one's name that was invented by Sabino Arana in the latter part of the 19th century. He decided that Basque surnames ought to be followed by the suffix -(t)ar. Thus he adopted the habit of giving his name, Sabino Arana Goiri, as Arana ta Goiri'taŕ Sabin. This style was adopted for a while by a number of his fellow Basque Nationalist Party (PNV/EAJ) supporters but has largely fallen out of fashion now.
These descriptive surnames can become very long. The family will probably be known by a short form or a nickname. The longest Basque surname recorded is Burionagonatotorecagageazcoechea sported by an employee at the Ministry of Finances in Madrid in 1867.[8]
Types and composition
The majority of modern Basque non patronymic surnames fall into two categories:
- a descriptive of the family house. This usually either refers to the relative location of the home or the purpose of the building.
- the first owner of the house. Usually this is a man's name. These surnames are relatively recent[7]
Surnames from either category are formed using nouns, adjectives, a number of
The following examples all relate to the location of the family home.
Surname | Elements | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Arrigorriagakoa | (h)arri "stone" + gorri "red" + aga "place of" + -ko "of" + -a "the" | the one of the place of the red stones |
Aroztegi | (h)arotz "smith/carpenter"[9] + -tegi "place" | smith's workshop/carpentry |
Bidarte
|
bide "way" + arte "between" | between the ways |
Bolibar | bolu "mill" + ibar "valley" | mill valley |
Elkano
|
elke "vegetable garden" + no "small" | small vegetable garden |
Elizondo | eliza "church" + ondo "nearby" | near the church |
Etxandi | etxe "house" + handi "big" | big house |
Etxarte | etxe "house" + arte "between" | house between |
Etxeberri
|
etxe "house" + berri "new" | new house |
Goikoetxea | goi "high place" + etxe "house" + -a "the" | the high lying house |
Ibaiguren | ibai "river" + guren "edge"[4] | river's edge |
Ibarra | ibar "valley" + -a "the" | the valley |
Lardizabal | lar "bramble patch" + zabal "wide" | wide bramble patch |
Lekubarri | lekhu "place" + barri "new"[10] | new place |
Loiola | lohi "mud" + -ola "place" | muddy place |
Mariñelarena | Marinela "sailor" + suffix "rena" | the sailor's (home/son) |
Mendiluze | mendi "mountain" + luze "long" | the long mountain |
Mendoza
|
mendi "mountain" + hotza "cold" | cold mountain |
Urberoaga | ur "water" + bero "hot" + -aga "place of" | the place of the hot water |
Zabala | zabal "wide" + -a "the" | the wide one |
Zubiondo | zubi "bridge" + ondo "nearby" | near the bridge |
Yñigo (Eneko) | ene- "mine", -ko (hypocristic) | my little (love/dear) |
Recognizing Basque non-patronymic surnames
Basque non patronymic surnames are relatively easy to spot through the high frequency of certain elements and endings used in their formation, bearing in mind the spelling variants. Outside the
Modern Spelling | Meaning | Older Spellings |
---|---|---|
-aga | place of | |
agirre | prominence | aguirre |
-alde | side | alde |
-arte | between | art |
aurre(a) | front | |
barren(a) | inner, lowest. Often in a pair with goien | |
behe | down | be, ve |
berri(a) | new | berry, varri, verría, verry |
bide(a) | way, path | vida, vide |
buru | head, end | bure |
garai(a) | high/raised granary | garay |
goi | high | goy |
eliza | church | eliç(e), elic(e), eliss, elex, elej |
-eta | abundance of | ette |
etxe(a) | house | ech, eche, etche |
gorri(a) | red | corri, gourry |
(h)aritz(a) | oak | áriz, harits |
(h)arri(a) | stone | harri, harry |
iturri | source | |
mendi(a) | mountain | mendy |
neko | eneko | arquiñigo, erquiñigo, |
-ola | hut, forge | olha |
-ondo | nearby | onde |
sagar(ra) | apple | |
-tegi | home, workshop | tegui |
-(t)za | abundance | |
urru(ti) | far, beyond | |
zabal(a) | wide, meadow | çabal, zábal, zaval |
-zahar(ra) | old | zar, zaar |
zubi | bridge | subi |
See also
- Legal name
- Patronymic
- Personal name
- Surname map
- Ocho apellidos vascos
Significant Basque surnames
These are Basque surnames that are well known or famous around the world:
- Agirre/Aguirre
- )
- Altube
- Amenábar
- Ametzaga / Sp: Amézaga
- Ameztoy / Sp: Amestoy
- Anzoátegui
- Araia / Sp: Araya
- Arana
- Aramburu
- Arauz
- Aristizábal
- Armendáriz
- Aroztegi / Sp: Aróstegui
- Arrieta
- Arteaga
- Ayala
- Azcárraga
- Baroja
- Bedoya
- Bengoechea
- Bergara / Sp: Vergara
- Berriotxoa / Sp: Berriochoa
- Biskarret / Sp: Viscarrat
- Bolívar
- Bordaberry
- Cenarruza
- Duhalde
- Elizabelar
- Elizondo
- Elorriaga
- Eskibel / Sp: Esquível
- Etxebarren / Sp: Echebarren
- Etxeberri, Etxebarri) / Sp: Echeverría(or Echevarría, Echeverry, Echevarri)
- Etxegarai / Sp: Echegaray
- Echegoyen
- Etxemendi / Sp: Echemendi
- Etxenike / Sp: Echenique
- Estigabirria
- Ezkurra / Sp: Ezcurra
- Gabiria / Sp: Gaviria
- Galartza / Sp: Galarza
- Gaona
- Garai / Sp: Garay
- Garamendi
- García (or Garcíaz, Garcíez, Gartzia, Gaztea, Gartzea, Garcez)
- Gebara / Sp: Guevara
- Goikoetxea / Sp: Goicoechea
- Goizueta
- Ibarra
- Induráin
- Iriondo
- Irigoien / Sp: Irigoyen/Yrigoyen
- Iturbi
- Iturbide
- Izaguirre
- Jáuregui
- Karrantza / Sp: Carranza
- Cortázar
- Lardizábal
- Larrazábal
- Larrañaga
- Laxalt
- Legazpi
- Loiola / Sp: Loyola
- Maeztu / Sp: Maestu
- Mariñelarena
- Mendieta
- Mendizábal
- Mendoza
- Montoia / Sp: Montoya
- Muxica / Sp: Mújica
- Okendo / Sp: Oquendo
- Orozko / Sp: Orozco
- Ortiz
- Orzabal
- Otxoa / Sp: Ochoa
- Oyarzábal
- Sagasti
- Salazar
- Semen / Sp: Jiménez
- Ugartetxe / Sp: Ugarteche
- Uharte / Sp: Ugarte or Huarte
- Unamuno
- Untzaga / Sp: Unzaga
- Urdaneta
- Uriarte
- Uribe
- Uriburu
- Urquiza
- Uzain
- Yaben
- Zabala / Sp: Zavala
- Zabaleta / Sp: Zavaleta
- Zárate
- Zatarain (or Katarain)
- Zelaia / Sp: Celaya or Zelaya (surname), and Celaá
- Zorreguieta
- Zubillaga
- Zubiria (or Zufiria)
- Zuloaga
- Zúñiga
Footnotes
- ^ a b "Colección documental Santa María de Najera" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
- ^ "Los apellidos más frecuentes de Euskadi". 2011-05-15.
- ^ "Nombres: Eneko". Euskaltzaindia (The Royal Academy of the Basque Language). Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2009-04-23. Article in Spanish
- ^ a b c d e f Michelena, L. (1973) Apellidos vascos (5th edition), Txertoa: 1997.
- ^ "Ensenanzas". Archived from the original on 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
- ^ "Euskal Onomastikaren Datutegia - EODA - EODA". www.euskaltzaindia.eus. Euskaltzaindia. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ a b Apellido in the Spanish-language Auñamendi Entziklopedia.
- ISBN 84-08-01286-X
- ^ arotz in Hiztegi Batua, Euskaltzaindia
- ^ "Lekubarri". 2014-02-23.
References
- Etxegoien, J. Orhipean: Gure Herria ezagutzen Xamar: 1992, ISBN 84-7681-119-5
- Gorrotxategi, M. Nomenclátor de apellidos vascos/Euskal deituren izendegia Euskaltzaindia: 1998
- Michelena, L. Apellidos vascos (5th edition), Txertoa: 1997
- ISBN 0-415-13116-2