Bolaños
A Spanish surname most often linked to place names, ultimately from a word for a small hill or mound.
The #3,029 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,101 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bolaños is a Spanish surname, most likely taken from a place-name rather than formed directly from a personal nickname. It is commonly associated with Spanish localities named Bolaños, and the place-name is usually explained from a Romance word related to a rounded hill, mound, or small swell of land. The deeper root is often traced to Latin balla or a similar late-Latin form, though the exact development is not always spelled out the same way in every source.
History
The surname would have begun as an identifier for someone who came from a town or district called Bolaños, especially in medieval Spain. From there it spread through the Spanish-speaking world, including the Americas, through migration and colonial-era movement. In modern usage it is best known in Spanish-speaking countries and in Hispanic communities abroad.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The tilde in Bolaños changes the pronunciation: the ñ is a separate Spanish sound, roughly like the ny in 'canyon.'