Cisneros
A Spanish surname likely tied to the place-name Cisneros, probably meaning someone from that locality.
The #670 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,063 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cisneros is best understood as a Spanish habitational surname, originally identifying someone from the town of Cisneros in Palencia, Spain. The place-name is generally treated as older than the surname itself, though the deeper origin of the place-name is not fully settled in the excerpts provided. In practice, the surname simply means "from Cisneros."
History
The name is well known in Spain and later spread through the Spanish-speaking world. It is historically associated with prominent bearers such as Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, which helped keep the surname visible in records and public memory. In the Americas it remains a relatively common Hispanic surname, including among many families of Spanish or Mexican descent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros was one of the most influential churchmen and statesmen in late medieval Spain, and his fame helped make the surname especially recognizable.
From the historical record
“Spanish name Zapata ; and zapdta, zapdto is a kind of half-boot. Mellado gives three Spaniards of the name of Zapata — Antonio Zapata de Cisneros, a cardinal, born at Madrid in 1550 ; Antonio LUDUS PATRONYMICUS. 99 or Lupian Zapata, born at Segorbe in the seventeenth century ;”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames