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Romero is a surname of Hispanic origin that means “pilgrim”, and it arose during the Middle Ages. It is currently one of the most popular surnames in Spain and in some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and El Salvador.
Origin and meaning of the name Romero
The origin of the Romero surname dates back to the 13th century AD. C. It is believed that it arose in Galicia, Spain, and later spread to other regions, such as Castilla, Aragon, Andalusia, Catalonia and Valencia.
Although it is common to associate the surname Romero with the plant of the same name, there are actually other versions of its meaning. One of them suggests that Romero is a surname with a double meaning, both toponymic and occupational or descriptive. On the one hand, it was used as a nickname, since it meant “pilgrim”. People who made a pilgrimage to Rome or any other place where there was a religious center or a saint to venerate were called with it.
Travelers from the Western Roman Empire, who made a pilgrimage through the territories of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, on their way to the Holy Land were also named. On the other hand, since these pilgrims came from Rome, the last name also meant: “that comes from Rome” or “Roman”. In fact, the word rosemary derives from the Latin romaeus and literally means “Roman”.
Some of the oldest data on this surname date from the year 1212 and point to Don García Romeu, who participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, in Jaén.
The Romero surname spread throughout the American continent during the Spanish conquest. There are records about some people with the last name Romero who were part of the conquest of Chile, Mexico and the territories of the Río de la Plata.
Fun facts
In addition to its origin and meaning, there are other interesting facts about the Romero surname, including the following:
- It is the 210th most common surname in the world.
- It is the 28th most popular Hispanic surname.
- In Spain it is the 18th most common surname.
- It is among the 20 most common surnames in Spain, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela.
- Most people with the last name Romero live in Mexico, Spain, and Honduras.
- In Argentina, it is the 12th most common surname, in Venezuela the 13th and in Ecuador it ranks 15th among the most popular surnames.
- In the United States, the Romero surname is most common in the state of New Mexico.
- Some variants of the Romero surname are: Romerro, Rohmer, Romarin, Romer, Romeu, Romeo, Romeos, Romemu.
Celebrities with the last name Romero
There are several famous people with the last name Romero. Some of them are:
- Xavier Romero Frías: Spanish writer and academic.
- Covadonga Romero Rodríguez: Spanish sculptor and painter.
- Cesar Romero: American actor.
- Sergio Germán “Chiquito” Romero: Argentine soccer player.
- Chanda Romero: Filipino actress.
- sto. Óscar Arnulfo Romero: Salvadoran priest.
- Aldemaro Romero Jr.: Venezuelan scientist.
- Francisco Romero: Spanish philosopher.
- Constantino Romero Garcia: Spanish actor.
- Brenda Louise Romero: American video game designer and developer.
Genealogy and resources
For some people it is very important to know their ancestors and family history. And this is very easy to do through different online genealogy resources. Some of them are:
- FamilySearch: A database of nearly 3 million historical facts and records as well as family trees that can be accessed free of charge.
- GeneaNet: Includes records and family trees of people with the last name Romero, mainly from families in Spain and Latin America.
Bibliography
- Schnieper Campos, J.; Rosado Martin, F. Spanish surnames. Heraldry . (2001). Brand Editorial.
Faure, R.; Ribes, MA (2001). Dictionary of Spanish surnames. Spain. Espasa Books. - Elián, JS Great book of surnames and heraldry . (2006). Spain. Victor.
- Forebears.io. rosemary . Available at: https://forebears.io/surnames/romero
