
There are surnames that have transcended time and have spread throughout the world, being very common or popular. The surname González, currently, belongs to a little more than 10 million people and is very common in Spanish speakers. However, in Spain, the surname González is more common as a second surname.
Is your last name González or do you know someone who has it? Would you like to know more about your roots? Then stay because this article is for you. Next, in a HOWTO, we present the meaning and origin of the surname González.
Meaning of the surname González and its coat of arms
The surname unites people, either by blood ties or by adoption, to a specific family. Being part of a surname, which is inherited from our ancestors, such as parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., and that will transcend in our offspring until the lineage is lost, surely makes people proud of their roots. Next, we will tell you about the meaning of the surname González and its roots, in addition to his shield:
Meaning of the surname González
The surname González has been formed from the derivation of the paternal proper name, that is, “Son or descendant of Gonzalo”. Its meaning is “Spirit of war” and it is derived from the German word “Gunda” which means fight and from the suffix “elf” of the word Elfo which means spirit, one of the characters of Germanic Scandinavian mythology. Spirit of war translated into the German language was Gundisalvo, which is a compound of Gund and of alv gothic alfs. Gundisalvo generates a new word called Gundisalvi. This in turn ends up deriving in the word Gonzalvo. And finally, Gonzalvo drifts into the Gonzalo’s name that leads to surname González.
Coat of arms of the surname González
The coat of arms or heraldic symbol is one that, graphically, each family in the Middle Ages created to give an identity and dominant position to their surname and lineage. The coat of arms for the González family name has its origin in Castilla, Spain. exist 23 shields of the surname González in Spain, among which stand out:
- Coat of arms of the oldest name González: in Campo de Gules (red background), a golden castle with three crenellated towers. This shield has been seen from a very simple form, even with various variations with some more detail (such as the golden key of the shield that is in the image on the cover of this article) or with many more details like the one below.
- Aragon Shield: its characteristics range from the field of gold, a gules heraldic eagle mounted on a gold star, and a silver sash in the middle of the shield.
- Shield of Asturias: the details of this insignia range from being represented by silver and an azure fleur de lis, accompanied by four natural roses.

Origin of the surname González
The surname González it is very common in Spanish speakers. It comes from Hispania, current Iberian Peninsula, brought to these lands by the Visigoths and has a patronymic origin, since its etymology is Gonzalo, which means “ready to fight”, and the suffix “ez” which means “son of”. Its beginning is quite uncertain, because some etymologists place it in León.
For their part, other scholars assure that its origin is in CastillaOthers indicate that it comes from Asturias and others indicate that it comes from Huesca. Of the person who created it, there are those who assure that Count Fernando Negro was the one who gave rise to this surname.
Other curious facts about the surname González
To finish talking about the meaning and origin of the surname González, here we leave you some fun facts about this so common surname:
- The surname González has had many variations when written over time. These variations have depended on the time, the spelling of the language, the geographical location. Between the variations of the surname González we find: Gonsalez, Gonzaalez, Gonzal, Gonzale, Gonzaletz, Gonzalez, Gonzallez, Gonsallez, Gonazalez, Gonzalo, Goncalez, Gonzlez and Gozales.
- González is the second most common surname in Spain. The most common surname in Spain, ahead of González, is the surname García.
- exist more than 20 coats of arms of the surname González in SpainIn each town where there is a González surname, this one has its own shield, but with the particularity that almost all have the same helmet or helmet on top of the shield, and the same leaves are drawn on the sides, but in some shields they change color.
- The surname González in 2010 was among the top 15 most common surnames in the United States.
- In Argentina, Chile and Paraguay it is the most common surname, while in Venezuela it represents the second most common surname.
- It may be that the surname González has family ties to Carlos Magno.
- In Spain, most of the lineages that bore the surname González had no relationship with each other.
- The Gonzálezes have noble titles in Spain, among which we can mention Marqués de González de Castejón, Count of González de Castejón de Agreda, Marqués de González-Besada and Marqués de González-Tablas.
- The discoverer of Lake Nicaragua and later founder of that Central American country was Don Gil González Dávila.
With these curious facts and explanations about the meaning and origin of the surname GonzálezWe hope we have helped you to better know the second most common surname in Spain and so common in other Spanish-speaking countries. If you have found it interesting, you may also want to read this other unCOMO article on How to change the order of surnames or the meaning of others, such as the Meaning and origin of the surname López or the Meaning and origin of the surname Pérez.
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