Barrientos
A Spanish surname most likely derived from a place-name or a regional form built on barr- words associated with rough terrain or a barrier.
The #1,905 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,356 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barrientos is a Spanish surname. The ending -ientos is consistent with many Iberian place-based surnames, and the name is usually treated as coming from a locality or toponym rather than from a personal name. The first element barr- may be connected with Romance words for a barrier, bank, or rough ground, but the exact original place behind the surname is not certain from the available evidence.
History
The surname is found in Spain and later spread widely across the Spanish-speaking world. Because it is toponymic in form, it likely began as an identifying name for someone from a place called Barrientos or a similarly named locality. It is now established in both Spain and Latin America, and in the modern United States it appears at a moderate frequency.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Its ending makes it look plural, but Spanish surnames often preserve old place-names exactly as they were used locally.
From the historical record
“Barcia, Barcones, Bardon, Barinaga, Baro, Baroja, Barzanallana, Barra, Barrachina, Barrantes, Bar- reda, Barreiro, Barrera (La), Barreras, Barrientos, Barriga, Barrio-nuevo, Barron, Barros, Barroso!, Bas, Basaba, Bascuas, Bascuñana, Bastus, Bataller, Bayarri, Bayer, Bayo, Bayona, Becerril, Bedia, Bed- mar. Bedoya…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos