Favela
A surname of Iberian and especially Spanish-language usage, most likely tied to a place name or local feature.
The #4,761 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,504 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Favela is best understood as a surname built from a place name or local term in the Iberian world, especially in Spanish-speaking regions. In many cases, surnames of this kind began as labels for someone who lived near, came from, or was associated with a particular settlement or landmark. The exact root of the word is not certain from general evidence alone, so the name is usually treated as a locational surname with some uncertainty about the original place-name source.
History
The surname is found most often in Hispanic communities, and in the United States it appears chiefly through Spanish- and Mexican-American family lines. Because surnames of this type often traveled with migration, the name is now concentrated in the Americas rather than Spain itself. The word also has a separate and very common modern Spanish meaning as an informal term for a slum, but that usage should not be assumed to be the surname’s source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In modern Spanish, favela is widely known as a word for a shantytown in Brazil, but that everyday noun is not necessarily connected to the surname’s family history.