Cabrera
A Spanish surname meaning “goat herd” or “place of goats,” originally linked to goat-raising or a goat-rich place.
The #376 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,692 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cabrera is a Spanish surname built on cabra, “goat,” from Latin capra. In old Spanish usage, cabrera could mean a woman who tended goats, a goat herder, or a place associated with goats or goat pasture. The name may therefore be occupational for some families and locational for others.
History
The surname is widespread in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world, and it also appears as a place name in several parts of Spain. Historical onomastic works often gloss it simply as connected with goats or goat-keeping. Noble and local lines bearing the name are documented in Spanish history, including branches such as Alvarez de Cabrera.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Spanish, Cabrera is grammatically a feminine-looking form, but as a surname it is used by all genders and has long functioned as a family name.
From the historical record
“ruiues {cabour, Noruiaudie). Cabrera. Truupcau do cLûvrcH (oc). Cabridens. Freloii(ca6rjeJan, oc). Cabrière. 1» Étable do chùvreg,”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)