Cedillo
A Spanish surname most likely derived from a place-name or a nickname built on the word for a cedar tree.
The #3,392 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,298 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cedillo is a Spanish surname. It is usually understood as a diminutive or place-based form related to Spanish cedro, from Latin cedrus, meaning 'cedar.' In that sense, the name likely began as either a topographic surname for someone living near cedar trees or a habitational name from a place called Cedillo, a form found in Spanish-speaking regions. The ending -illo is a common Spanish diminutive, so the literal sense would be something like 'little cedar' or 'place associated with cedars.'
History
The surname is found in Spain and later in Hispanic communities in the Americas, especially in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Like many Spanish surnames, it probably spread through migration and colonial-era settlement, then became established as a hereditary family name. Modern U.S. bearers often reflect Mexican or broader Latin American ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish surnames ending in -illo often preserve an old diminutive sense, so Cedillo may originally have evoked a small cedar or a cedar-lined place.