Frequency: (240)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Spanish and Portuguese: metonymic occupational name for an armorer or a swordsman, from espada ‘sword’ (Latin spata, from Greek spathē, originally denoting a broad, two-edged sword without a point). In some cases the surname may be a Catalan cognate, from Old Catalan espada (now espasa).
GIVEN NAMES: Spanish 40%; Portuguese 13%. Carlos (6), Jose (6), Pedro (4), Jorge (3), Francisco (2), Luis (2), Miguel (2), Rigoberto (2), Roberto (2), Alfredo, Angel, Aurelio; Joao.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
